Human Resources committee  With the capital grant program, there is a required forgiveness period on the capital grant, and depending on the amount of money it could be a 15-year affordability. The rent supplement agreements are typically in place for 10 to 15 years, so that does protect the affordability for a period of time.

Human Resources committee  Saint John is unique as well in that we have a very high vacancy rate. The fact that we have a high vacancy rate means that we do not have developers interested in coming in and developing new housing units. Unfortunately, that vacancy rate exists within that older housing stock and now are substandard to housing stock.

Human Resources committee  I don't think it's strictly financial. As a non-profit organization, certainly we do not have financial resources to develop housing units beyond a few here and there from year to year. I think it's the will of all levels of government, and the business community and the non-profit community as well have a responsibility to ensure that we have adequate housing stock.

Human Resources committee  I think what explains the success of the program is that fundamentally that is one of our most basic needs—housing first. Once we have somebody safely, securely, affordably housed, then everything else can begin. With the housing first model, it is housing first, and then ensuring that the services necessary to keep somebody housed are there and available to the participant in the program.

Human Resources committee  Our experience here in Saint John has been that we have access to some housing. Our provincial government has stepped up and provided rent supplement agreements for 10 units per year for a two-year period. That certainly has made a huge difference for us. One of our greatest challenges is ensuring that adequate services are available to wrap around the individuals.

Human Resources committee  I think it's quite clear that access to affordable, adequate, suitable housing is absolutely essential. If we want to tackle the issues of poverty, housing is foundational. It's fundamental. First and foremost, we need additional housing. When we talk about affordable housing, it is not necessarily just affordable to those of the lowest income; we also need affordable housing for those we refer to as the working poor.

Human Resources committee  Although the regional waiting list may be 1,000 people, we know that there are approx 2,000 affordable housing units here in the city, which is a combination of public, non-profit, and co-operative housing. In addition to that, we know the need is not being met. I don't have the latest local stats for folks in need of affordable housing, but provincially it's over 30,000—a need that has not moved in the past 15 years at the very least.

Human Resources committee  We have 2,000, so it would be approximately 5,000.

Human Resources committee  New Brunswick has been working on ensuring that it doesn't happen, that the affordable housing stock is not lost by the sector. The amalgamation of the housing co-op here in Saint John will go a long way to protecting the affordability so that people are not forced to move out of the affordable housing stock that they may have lived in for many years.

Human Resources committee  We feel that we've gone a long way to ensuring security of tenure for a certain percentage of the housing co-operative. It has been housing for mixed-income families and single seniors. We want to ensure the health of the community by remaining mixed income. One of the things we are looking at doing as well, within the non-profit sector, for those who are 100% subsidized, is move to that model.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here this morning. I would like to say—because my cheque did arrive—a special thank you to MP Long for all of the work that he and his staff do here in Saint John. We do appreciate it. I'm Kit Hickey, the executive director of Housing Alternatives.