How might we, as SIR CityLab students, identify problems surrounding housing to build a long-term Housing Sustainability and Investment Plan (HSIP) that addresses affordable home ownership in cooperation with various stakeholders in Hamilton?
Context
The City of Hamilton is currently facing a housing crisis, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in challenges in nearly all domains of the housing continuum. Though other municipalities are facing similar challenges, Hamilton is unique due to its proximity to Toronto. Rising rents in Toronto have caused significant migration into Hamilton at an unpredictable rate, resulting in a dynamic external pressure within Hamilton’s housing market. The City of Hamilton’s Housing & Homelessness Action Plan was established to guide the City in addressing housing over 10 years. This plan was developed in 2013, with a five-year review completed in 2020 that included community engagement and in-partnership with a multi-stakeholder Planning Group and the Housing and Homelessness Advisory Committee. On June 3, 2022, the SLT endorsed the development of a Sustainable Housing Delivery Model and Investment Roadmap.
Problem
Currently Hamilton does not have a sustainable housing continuum to support the major changes regarding urban renewal, gentrification, and population growth. Though the population of Hamilton is increasing, there is a shortage in affordable housing, resulting in insufficient housing to support both new and existing residents. In recent years, fewer renters have been able to gain homeownership and move through the continuum. As a result, there is added pressure on emergency and transitional shelters, leading to over-population and lengthy waitlists. The gap in needs and resources is evident in the lack of affordable homes and rentals, with an inevitable impact on the flow of the continuum.
Goals
Analyze and synthesize information regarding the current state of affordable home ownership flowing from affordable rental in Hamilton, situated within a broader Canadian & international context to help generate a more comprehensive Housing and Sustainability and Investment plan.
Gather feedback from residents on what affordable ownership could look like within Hamilton.
This will be developed through community engagement activities (e.g. online/in-person engagement sessions, surveys, etc.), with a subgoal of developing a continuation strategy that proactively gathers residents' opinions on this topic post-project.
Recommend long-term solutions to achieve alignment between current state and resident’s desired state of affordable housing for implementation by City Council.
Develop distributable material (e.g. infographic, video) to address key findings in an actionable manner that emphasizes knowledge sharing and education.
Student Team: Anastasija Zecevic, Bohmee Kim, Maryam Sheikh, Rachel Long, Rhea Saini
Faculty & Course: CityLAB Semester in Residence, Dave Heidebrecht, Darina Vasek, Elizabeth Bang and Randy Kay
