Social Research and Planning Council officials want to hear how the ongoing housing crisis is affecting local residents
As housing costs continue to rise across the region, the United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research Planning Council hopes to gauge how local individuals and families are being affected.
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Planning council officials have launched a survey that offers residents of Perth and Huron counties an opportunity to share how they’ve been impacted by the ongoing housing crisis.
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“The news is full of housing statistics,” Kristin Crane, the United Way’s director of social research and planning, in a release. “What we hear less often are stories about the people behind the numbers.
“The Cost of Housing survey offers a safe space for people to share their experience. The (planning council) and United Way are in the business of helping us all understand and build our communities. We want to cultivate compassion and caring and learn how we can better help those facing the challenges of homelessness, precarious housing and unaffordable housing.”
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The online-only survey – available at perthhuron.unitedway.ca – is completely anonymous and only takes about seven minutes to complete.
The perspectives of those responding, however, could have a lasting impact on how the local United Way addresses the housing crisis in the coming months and years, officials said.
“This information is critical from the perspective of community building,” Ryan Erb, the local United Way’s executive director, in the release. “It also helps (the United Way Perth-Huron) as we continue addressing housing and homelessness regionally, whether that’s helping with rent arrears through the Urgent Needs Fund, connecting vulnerable people with services at our Connection Centers or developing and sustaining housing through United Housing . We encourage people to take the survey.”
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When introducing their United Housing initiative in late November, United Way Perth-Huron officials estimated there were roughly 300 homeless, including individuals and families, in the region. At the same time, Erb said at least 900 affordable housing units would be needed over the next decade for Perth County alone.
As a response to this prolonged crisis, the United Housing initiative is envisioned as a community-driven development corporation that will focus on building affordable housing in the Huron-Perth region while working with partners to increase and manage the local affordable rental supply.
With several new affordable housing developments planned in communities like Stratford, Listowel, Exeter and Goderich, Erb United Way officials say United Housing needs to raise $543,000 from the community to help lay the groundwork and begin construction within the next two to three years.
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