Frankly, no. On what we are seeing in Durham region, I'll speak from our experience at the Denise House. We recently lost the almost $100,000 in funding for our shelter that we were getting from the region. We were the only gender-based violence shelter getting this funding, but we lost it because we were considered, as my colleague said, “gender-based violence” versus “homeless”, and they only fund homeless. No, we are not seeing that housing being built for the women and children we work with. It's an unfortunate reality. We try really hard to work with the region, but no, we are not seeing it.
Also, on the housing that is being built, when we say “deeply affordable”, market rent is not affordable to the people we work with. Market rent is not affordable to a woman who has children and one income or to an elderly woman who has recently left her 50-year relationship. No, realistically, we are not seeing a positive impact on housing in Durham region.
