Heather Wright/The Independent

Lambton County needs 1,096 affordable and specialized housing units in the next 10 years.

That from Org Code Consulting which presented a 10-year Housing Plan for the county at Wednesday’s county council meeting.

“Affordability concerns are now affecting more people, with rents rising between 38 and 42 per cent since 2020 and deeply affordable housing is also in short supply with 1,238 community housing units and 1,002 households on the wait list,” Marina Sloutsky, a senior associate with Org told council. “The system is operating at near maximum capacity at the same time, demand is increasing also in less visible ways.”

Sloutsky says there are up to 700 families with people who just can’t afford to strike out on their own. “While these individuals may not appear in homelessness data or on housing wait lists, they’re part of a broader group of households affected by affordability pressures and, over time, that demand can translate into increased pressure on the housing system as conditions change.”

Part of the problem, according to Melissa Fitzpatrick, general manager of social services in Lambton, is 190 housing units considered affordable disappeared from the housing market. “We’ve lost affordable housing options in the form of renovations or units that come off line in the private market and then turned over and rented for probably twice of what they were rented previous to that,” she said.

“Priority one is increasing the supply of affordable and deeply affordable housing is foundational to improving the entire housing and homelessness system in Lambton County,” said Chris Gorman of Org Code. “So without a significant increase in available units, the system will continue to experience sustained pressure.

“Over the next 10-year period, Lambton County requires 1,096 new affordable and specialized housing units…this includes 392 affordable units in the private market, as well as 412 rent geared to income units. There is also clear and significant need for housing with specialized supports for individuals with complex needs and experiences of chronic homelessness,” Glover added.

The study highlights that while Indigenous people are about 5.5 per cent of Lambton’s population, almost 23 per cent of the people who are homeless are Indigenous. Glover says the county must work with Indigenous communities on a “For Indigenous by Indigenous” approach to housing similar to the new housing recently opened on Confederation Street. It was developed by local Indigenous First Nations on land given to the communities by the county.

Fitzpatrick says the county’s five-goal is to have 206 geared to income and affordable housing units come online. With a planned four-storey building with 94 one-bedroom units approved near the corner of Cathcart Blvd. and Colborne Rd and a 50-unit building on Kathleen Ave plus seven other non-profit and private sector projects on the go, as many as 350 units could be complete by 2031.

Fitzpatrick is hopeful the new federal Build Canada homelessness funding program will help. “It could be $150,000 per unit, so up to $50 million of revenue for our community.” She has been in touch with MP Marilyn Gladu about the program.

As Lambton County councillors approved in principle the 10-year housing plan, Brooke-Alvinston Mayor David Ferguson suggested the county needs to look beyond the Sarnia city limits.

“We keep seeing it in the city area where there’s a big need. It is also a need for Central Lambton to the East Lambton,” Ferguson said.

“Please consider that within the next 10 years. And talk to local municipalities, we know where there’s land or somebody has land for sale for somebody who wants to build.”

“We certainly would absolutely look with our rural community partner, our rural municipalities,” Fitzpatrick told reporters after the meeting. “When we look at our centralized wait list, though, majority of folks – 90 per cent – are residents of Sarnia. Now, of course, some would be willing to relocate, but that’s why you often see our priority focus on the city, because 90 per cent of the people waiting for affordable housing are residents of the city,” she said.

“Certainly we have stock across all of Lambton County. We always explore opportunities to expand outside of the city.”

Only one councillor voted against the plan, Sarnia City/County Councillor Bill Dennis. The report will be sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval before county councillors hold a final vote.