By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Six affordable residential units are in the works, thanks to Northumberland County’s Affordable Housing Capital Grant Program.
Housing Services Manager Emily Corkery shared the news at county council’s Social Services Committee meeting Wednesday.
Work is currently proceeding on additions of affordable units in six approved projects – three in Cobourg (with $60,000 allocated to help with these), two in Brighton (receiving $40,000) and one in Trent Hills ($20,000).
“This is the first year we have seen real movement on projects,” Associate Director of Housing and Homelessness Rebecca Carman said.
These are not big-dollar boosts, Carman added, but they do make it more affordable for the owners.
County council approved the creation of the Affordable Housing Capital Grant Program in 2021 to provide a forgivable loan of up to $20,000 per unit for affordable rental housing as well as other in-kind incentives such as waivers or grants-in-lieu of development charges and property taxes. The program largely aims at existing buildings that are converted to affordable residential units and existing residential buildings that add affordable units.
“Notably, the majority of applications are from homeowners intending to add a secondary suite to their primary residence,” Corkery’s report said.
To date, a total of $320,000 has been committed to approved projects out of the $1-million originally allocated to the program from housing reserves.
The program is at a point where it is due for a review, and some kind of initiative (like a town-hall meeting) to make it better known might be contemplated.
