Advocates pushing local governments to find creative solutions to build affordable housing

Pressure is mounting on local governments to get shovels in the ground as the affordable housing crisis shows no signs of slowing.

Cheques from the province’s Build Faster Fund are already making their way into the hands of municipalities that met their 2023 housing targets. Unfortunately, Cambridge was not one of them.

The city failed to meet its target last year and there are fears it could miss out again this year.

“I really hope every council is open to everything that is going to get homes built,” said Philip Mills, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region. “The need is so great.”

Earlier this year, Cambridge council was presented with a motion to look into building housing units above municipal parking lots. Ultimately, council chose not to move ahead. The idea has since gained traction in other municipalities, Kitchener being one of them.

Complex problems need creative solutions and Mills believes all ideas at least deserve consideration.

“We can’t fix this problem building and doing things the way we’ve always done them,” Mills told the Mike Farwell Show. “Let’s be open to thinking about things in a different way, even if they might end up not working. We can’t be afraid to try.”

Mills believes councillors need to put aside some of their differences in opinion and focus on being creative and finding bold solutions.

“The idea here is not to be reckless or do things without being prudent, but also not to be so cautious or historical in our approach that we miss out on good new ideas.”