Dear Editor:
Thank you for publishing articles by Jane Seyd, Brent Richter and Elizabeth James over the past few weeks that cover our municipalities’ housing issues.
We have met with some of our district councillors and are happy to say that they are putting their minds and creativity to our community’s housing issues. When more than 75 homes are demolished in our Lynn Valley neighbourhood over the next few years, we hope that rental housing will be built again: like for like.
Certainly, as one councillor has pointed out to us, if provincial and federal funds are available to help to build co-op or affordable housing, that would be very beneficial for our citizens. As another councillor has pointed out, each North Shore municipality has some land that could be contributed to the building of affordable rental housing. And there are non-profits with proven track records of building and administrating such housing on the North Shore.
Good news – the provincial government has pledged $355 million in affordable housing renovation and construction over five years. This is the first funding pledge in 20 years.
The first application deadline is June 15. We are requesting that West Vancouver with their community of 25 per cent low-fixed income seniors apply for the funds this year. We are requesting that the City of North Vancouver apply for the funds this year. We are requesting that the staff and councillors of the District of North Vancouver put in an excellent application.
The time is now to put some efforts in this direction.
You can see from our eight-year old’s school work that our children are well planted in this community. Let’s make some space for them to grow up in. Beyond ourselves, there are many with greater needs, old and young, equally planted and making the North Shore home.
Rob and Jenn Ohlhauser
Lynn Valley
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