Submitted by
Hazel Smith
The work of the SPARK long-term housing initiative has resumed after a summer hiatus. The overall aim of the initiative is to grow the long-term rental housing inventory, not by building infrastructure but rather by accessing existing surplus housing stock. Not as the only solution to the shortage of housing but as part of the answer.
The SPARK project is part of the work of The Meeting Place which is located on Centennial Drive in Tobermory. The Meeting Place is engaged in numerous community development initiatives and has led or facilitated projects such as the community garden, the dog park and the skate park. It is also home to the Go To Go food program and the Foodbank.
This second phase of the long-term housing initiative work has been funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Grey Bruce.
Work carried on over the winter of 2020/2021 explored why landlords, in overwhelming numbers, were opting for the short-term rentals option. The goal being to develop an understanding of what, if anything, might persuade a short-term landlord to become a long-term landlord. While, clearly, financial gain was understood to be a major influencer, the SPARK working group composed of Kim Belrose, Darlene Rouse, Yvette Roberts, Andrea Munn and Hazel Smith believed a deeper dive into motivation was warranted.
The goal of the investigation was to gain insight into how to “win over” even a small number of landlords to the long-term rental market as well as to understand what supports are required for both tenants and landlords in their long-term relationship.
A number of landlords who agreed to be interviewed spoke about an array of factors that have made long-term renting the preferred option, summarized in the SPARK Phase 1 Report as, “a desire to help, not wanting the hassle of short-term, not wanting a short-term neighbour, and staff recruitment needs.” However the report also concluded: “many properties are completely outside the scope for transition to long-term accommodation and it seems now this tendency will only increase as prices rise.”
While the initial investigation concluded that the scope for conversion was small, conversion of even a handful of units was deemed worth further effort.
The new phase of work which has resumed will explore what constitutes viability for the landlord in a long-term rental scenario. It will also look at the capacity of tenants, or would-be tenants.
The ultimate goal is to mount a recruitment campaign aimed at those who have excess housing capacity, see benefits to having a stable tenant, and want to help address the housing shortage in the community.
A series of 1.5 hour round table discussions will take place in Tobermory and Lion’s Head on November 10th and 12th (for landlords or would-be landlords) and November 16th and 18th for tenants (either present, future or past). For details of meeting times see the SPARK Housing Initiative advertisement at the bottom of this page or visit www.tobermorymeetingplace.com.
