June 30 Community Forum on housing - notes

Here are the notes from the discussion that about a dozen of us had last Sunday afternoon at the hall:

June 30, 2024

Community Housing Meeting

Minutes/Notes:

INTRODUCTIONS

-lived here for a decade, want a 'permanent' spot to build home and start garden

-increased density doesn't necessarily offer affordable living

-desire to keep the community affordable and thus, diverse (not just the playground of the rich)

-keeping land prices affordable, keep unique

-wrangling an organization with funding

-needing a 'new economy'

-not ideal for the community to have people living here for 10 years and then something comes up and they become unhoused, few options

-looking to be more open to saying yes to new ideas first, vs saying no first (the blanket no and fear of change) and hashing out details of risk after the 'yes'

-currently the availability of housing on Lasqueti can be "rough" (moldy, old, run down..)

-'part time people' and full time people are necessary

-supporting young people to living on Lasqueti, to be here and enjoy

-saying yes to conversations, but not just saying yes to any idea

-interested in supporting people on Lasqueti and open to different ways

-curious to the different ideas, still reserved to wanting own/private living situation, but open to having beliefs being challenged

DISCUSSION

-needing something that is not commercial (for profit) and something else that supports reasonable renting, good quality, and long-term

-this actually draws down land costs

-community land trust would (assuming the property is acquired) have long term leases, a place to put one's own tiny home, or a long term rental arrangement in a pre-built dwelling

-could be a multi-purpose situation of these possibilities

-over 42% of population is over 60 years of age, aging in place is a concern

-desire to address the issue of housing for young and the ageing population, otherwise as people pass away and land exchanges hands through the housing market, the prices will continue to be out of reach for local population...and only available to the rich

-doesn't make financial sense to purpose-build housing just for renting (cost, efforts, etc)

-seems like more people are wanting to purchase free-hold, vs a group of people buying a big chunk of land and sharing it

-virtually impossible to get a mortgage, (primarily because of the LIVFD?)

-should we be funding our fire department more, so that we can have a fire department that allows for mortgages to be possible?

-(doesn't really just help our target audience, but would help everybody)

-alternative to improving LIVFD is creating our own local insurance company to provide the potential for mortgages/insurance (cutting out the middle person)

-interested in brainstorming about finance

-donators/contributors that help purchase and create a land trust

-could incorporate land conservation into this

-for example, 160 acres purchased and 120 of that is protected and the other 40 are for living

-possibly not just donations, but also "investments" with a marginal/small return

-there is money here, another vote towards local private mortgaging

-local land trust has most interest/support and potential to serve purpose of creating affordable, long term housing

-the value of land we don't really have much control over, unless we choose to sell our land for really cheap to someone specific (for example)

-the senior housing project took years of development, before anything happened, just as a reference for these types of projects.

-there is government funding out there that they are just dying to give away for people to fund their housing projects

-BC building code can be a barrier to tiny home solutions

-can be viewed that the elderly are investing in having support around for them (response to the idea of building rentals being financially unrealistic).

-tiny home ideas

-who will do something?

-someone has to start it, someone has to take action, solution needs an advocate

-land trust a very egalitarian solution

Solution with the most support is a Community Land Trust which will be formed by a group of Lasquetians, if you are interested in participating in setting it up, please contact Shoshanah or Tim P.

Other solutions discussed at previous housing meetings and awaiting energy to ignite are:

-a community insurance company to insure our houses

-a local mortgage cooperative to facilitate land purchases by locals, or to build rentals on undeveloped densities