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In October, Albini  interviewed HIHS Directors Meredith McEvoy and Michael McNamara on his weekly radio show, producing a really interesting conversation on how the Beulah Creek affordable housing project is moving ahead. What lies ahead for Beulah Creek and HIHS? The podcast of the show can be found HERE.

   November 11, 2020

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERS OF THE HORNBY ISLAND HOUSING SOCIETY 

Please take notice that an Annual General Meeting of the Members of the Society will be held on Sunday, December 6, at 2pm electronically, via Zoom.

Highlights of the work of the Society over the past fiscal year May 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020 will be discussed. Financial statements will be reviewed, and nominations and elections of Directors will be held.

We hope that you will join us. Please reply to this email to receive a Zoom invitation. Or, in the absence of access to email, for an invitation to participate by telephone, please contact the Society’s administrator at 250-335-2037.

Sincerely,

JoAnn Harrison

President

 

To: Islands Trust Council;

August 27, 2020

Re: Islands 2050 Consultation Process and Trust Policy Statement Review

Statement in support of the retention and enhancement of language in the Trust Policy Statement related to social equity and affordable housing:

The importance of the Islands Trust Policy Statement for the future of Hornby Island and all of the islands in the Trust Area cannot be overstated. Since 1993, this document has guided policy development and regulations governing the use of our land, and the effect of land use policy on our people.

The guiding principles of this document must reflect all of the pressing needs of our communities now and into the future. The process to date of the Islands 2050 public consultation has produced a document (What We Heard Report) that reduces the issues of affordable housing and social equity to minor considerations. However, affordable housing has consistently been identified by Hornby Islanders as our top and most critical community problem. We can only surmise that the three questions presented in the consultation process encouraged and guided the public to focus on the environment, which we all value very highly and wish to protect, to the exclusion of other pressing subjects governed by land use bylaws.

We are facing unprecedented housing challenges on Hornby Island. Issues that were problems in 1993 are now full blown crises. Our current policies governing land use on Hornby Island appear to be inadequate to address our local need for affordable housing. Over time, our community is becoming less resilient and more fragile, more exposed to the market pressure on land prices.

The Hornby Island Housing Society has over 25 years of experience responding to the challenges of our growing housing needs. We have had the joy of creating non-market rental housing for seniors and the privilege to be working towards a new development of affordable housing for our young people, families and our workforce. However, we are also acutely aware of the unmet needs of our populations. The demand for housing often exceeds supply. This means that our friends and neighbours go without. Now is the time to do more for them, not less.

Housing is currently mentioned only twice in the Trust Policy Statement and is quoted below:

• “Local trust committees and island municipalities shall, in their official community plans and regulatory bylaws, address their community’s current and projected housing requirements. “
• “The health of a community is influenced by numerous factors such as economic security, education, social support systems, the cleanliness and safety of the environment, and the availability of such necessities as educational and social services, transportation, affordable food and housing.”

The deterioration of the housing situation on Hornby Island, as well as on other islands in the Trust area, is proof that these directives do not go far enough.

We cannot easily alter the outside forces affecting the availability of safe, adequate and affordable housing on our island. We can however, institute the regulatory framework which will protect our island communities’ future. We can do this by clearly emphasizing the importance of housing affordability in the policy statement. We can do this by outlining that it should be a major policy objective of the Trust to sanction, allow, and support affordable housing initiatives.

In the Trust Council’s own work at its 2016 Housing Forum, Trust Council Members, Local Trustees, planning staff and local groups all identified problems and actions which could be taken to address these challenges. Most notably, it was recognized that the Islands Trust is in a position, and in fact has a duty, to act as facilitator in creating solutions to the chronic housing shortage on the islands.

In the proposed revisions to the Policy Statement, HIHS suggests that a new section be dedicated solely to affordable housing. The following is a draft of the type of language and range of subject matter we would like to see included under “Policies for Sustainable Communities”.

Affordable Housing

Commitments of the Trust Council

• Trust Council holds that there is a housing affordability crisis in the Trust area and that there is a duty to facilitate solutions to chronic housing shortage for residents.

• Trust Council holds that the unique character of the island communities results from the existence of a diverse range of people from all different backgrounds, classes, ages and position in life being able to reside in the area and that a large barrier to the preservation of that diversity is the cost of housing.

Directive Policies

• Local Trust committees and island communities shall, in their official community plans and regulatory bylaws, address the development of land use patterns which discourage housing diversification and affordability and encourage site appropriate options to rectify these.
• Local trust committees and island communities shall, in their official community plans and regulatory bylaws, acknowledge that lower, middle and working class people and families are essential to our communities and have a right to live in the trust area.
• Local trust committees and island communities shall, in their official community plans and regulatory bylaws, acknowledge that there is a chronic shortage of stable, healthy, affordable housing for low and moderate income families and individuals, and that this shortage threatens the sustainability of island communities.
• Local Trust committees and island communities shall, in their official community plans and regulatory bylaws, acknowledge that carefully managed densification is a necessary component of any financially viable and effective housing solution, and can allow us to sustain both the social fabric of our community and the natural environment of our island.

Recommendations

• Trust Council encourages residents in the Trust area to work towards grassroots, site specific solutions to the housing affordability crisis in a way which preserves the character and environment of the Trust area.
• Trust Council encourages the Federal, Municipal and Local Governments to assist islanders and community groups in the creation of housing solutions such as non market housing, accessory dwelling units, cooperatives, co-housing and other forms of ecologically sensitive densification.

Thank you very much for your time and attention. We hope that our suggestions can be of some use as housing is such an important and critical issue on Hornby Island, as we know it is on many other islands in the Trust area.

Yours sincerely,

Sadie Chezenko

Director

Hornby Island Housing Society

 

 

 

June 19, 2020

Update on Affordable Housing at Beulah Creek Village

In November 2018, the BC government awarded Hornby Island Housing Society 2.6 million dollars towards the construction of 26 units of moderate to low‐income rental homes for workers, families, and seniors at 5040 Central Road. The Society’s proposal was given a Class A rating by the province’s housing authority, BC Housing – the highest score possible.  We felt that we were well on our way.

That was nineteen long months ago. Since then, the Society has slowly, slowly been making progress with Beulah Creek Village, confronting numerous hurdles along the way. BC Housing has stringent demands in many directions, not the least for energy efficiency, sustainability, and affordability. All of these requirements must be met for our designs to be approved.

Our team of architects and engineers, Studio 531 and Herold Engineering, drew up preliminary schematic plans for the project, and these were sent to BC Housing for their assessment last January. That review has now been successfully completed. We anticipate receiving the next installment of funding shortly which will enable us to get back to work with the team to develop a detailed design that we can bring to the community for feedback. We are hopeful that plans will be ready to present by later this summer.

Step by step! With good input from the Hornby community, applications for the development permits from Islands Trust can be submitted, and then more reviews with BC Housing will follow. If we can reach “Final Project Approval” while the province still has funding available for affordable housing, construction will begin. Stay tuned and optimistic!

HIHS Letter to Denman Island Local Trust Committee in Support of Rezoning for Denman Green Affordable Housing

Dear Denman Island Local Trust Committee,

This letter is intended to offer support for the rezoning application of the Denman Green affordable housing project which we understand is to be discussed at the upcoming LTC meeting on July 7, 2020.

As you know, HIHS has been providing safe, stable, affordable rental housing for elders on Hornby Island since the mid 1990’s. As well, HIHS is now in the process of developing a 26 unit community housing village in conjunction with BC Housing, and M’Akola Development Services.

For the latter rental housing project HIHS has received preliminary project development funding from BC Housing and is now in the process of completing preliminary architectural designs, civil and environmental designs, undertaking development permit applications, and completing our rezoning.

In 2016 the Islands Trust Council, recognizing the potential long term destructive effects of the housing crisis, organized a Housing Forum comprised of Trust Council members, Local Trustees, planning staff, and local groups working toward solutions. Even the bylaw enforcement officer was in attendance.

During this important forum, through presentations from all sides, a number of conclusions were reached:

• There is a chronic shortage of stable, healthy, affordable housing for low and moderate income families and individuals, and that this shortage threatens the sustainability of island communities.
• When island communities falter and become unsustainable, the natural environment is threatened as well.
• It was recognized that virtually any form of affordable housing initiative necessarily involves some degree of densification. And when carefully done, densification can be beautiful, and both environmentally and socially sustainable.
• It was recognized that through its mandate, the Islands Trust is called upon to preserve and protect both the natural environment and the unique communities of the islands.
• It was recognized that the Islands Trust is in a position to, and in fact has a duty to act as facilitator in creating solutions to the chronic housing shortage on the islands.

Our experience developing affordable housing on Hornby Island confirms the conclusions of the Housing Forum. Carefully managed densification is a necessary component of any financially viable and effective housing solution, and can allow us to sustain both the social fabric of our community and the natural environment of our island.

A lack of affordable housing leads to the creation and tolerance of unpermitted and illegal dwellings. These can be both unsafe and unsightly. We suggest that, by allowing for this proposed pocket of density, Denman can have a source of safe, legal, affordable housing for some of its residents. This housing development would be required to be ecologically appropriate and to adhere to environmental standards. Without alternatives, illegal dwellings will continue on, promoting a general disregard for land use regulations and eroding confidence in the Islands Trust’s ability to proactively plan for the community’s future.

To this end Hornby Island Housing Society respectfully requests that the Denman Island Local Trust Committee instruct planning staff to expedite the rezoning application for Denman Island Green.

 

 

The Beulah Creek Village application for funding to BC Housing has been SUCCESSFUL!!

On Monday November 12, the Hornby Island Housing Society received word from BC Housing that our project to build rental housing units at Beulah Creek had been approved.  Our funding was publicly announced the next day as part of a larger announcement of $492 million in funding for 4,900 units of housing in 42 communities across BC.  We can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled and excited we are!!

Why were we successful?

When we pull back and look at the big picture, you can see how much our community had already accomplished on our own. Bernhard and Christa Weiss made it possible for 18 ½ acres of their lovely, well located land to be allocated for affordable housing.  They worked hard along with our local Island Trustees and ISLA board members to make this happen. Hats off to Bernhard and Christa! Our community did lots of fund raising as there was much to do. Bernhard had already put in a well, but research needed to be done on many subjects, the land zoned for community housing, riparian areas identified, septic fields defined, roads laid out, and the Village site cleared! Our site was now “shovel ready”. Thanks goes out to the hard work and diligence of ISLA and its past board members and HICEEC which was a strong community partner and advocate, and for the generous support from the Hornby Island Community Fund, CMHC and the CVRD, plus many, many volunteers and broad community support. But there were still hurdles to jump. The infrastructure costs such as power, roads, septic and water systems were going to be huge. Models of owner financed homes, owner plus rental, strata title, and other possibilities were explored. No home-ownership model was found that would be both affordable and still pay for the infrastructure.

In 2017, representatives from BC Housing had a chance to tour the Beulah Creek Village site and they were impressed. The ISLA board was encouraged to prepare a proposal for funding from BC Housing for the development of rental housing. BC Housing only directly funds rental housing, but they have the deep pockets that could help us get past the daunting infrastructure costs. ISLA decided to partner with M’akola Development Services who have wide experience advising on successful rural community housing development. Both M’akola and BC Housing encouraged ISLA and Elder Housing to join forces so that we would have an even stronger team with experience in both creating and maintaining affordable housing.  This, too, we accomplished, and in record time. Our application to BC Housing went in under the name of the brand new Hornby Island Housing Society!

What’s next?

We will be working closely with BC Housing and M’akola in the coming weeks to prepare a final agreement and financial plan for funding Beulah Creek Village.  Then construction can begin.  At the same time, we will be working on developing policies, an application process, and draft rental agreements for our potential tenants.  As these details are finalized, we will release this information, along with the number and size of units, rental rates, and a construction and move-in timeline.

I want to live at Beulah Creek!

We are not yet ready to receive applications for housing at Beulah Creek Village. However, if you have email and would like to have news and updates as soon as they are available, please let us know. We will add you to our potential residents contact list.  If you are seriously considering applying to live at Beulah Creek, one concrete first step you can take towards getting ready is to file your taxes so you are up to date.  Our partnership with BC Housing will mean that filing your taxes can be a necessary step for you to take in the application process. To add your name to the contact list or to find help with completing your taxes please contact Meredith McEvoy at meredith.mcevoy@gmail.com.

Thank you for all your support and we look forward to providing further updates on the progress of the Beulah Creek Village housing development!

“Working together to find ways to keep our families and residents safely and affordably housed.”

Hornby Island has an amazing history of making our dreams happen, from the Community Hall to the Co-op, the Elder Village, Room To Grow, the Pre-School, the Free Store, the new Health Clinic, and now our Community School rising from the ashes. All were, or are, community driven initiatives. The summer of 2018 saw the creation of the Hornby Island Housing Society, HIHS. The members of ISLA and Elder Housing voted to join their two societies into one in order to focus on affordable community housing for people of all ages. HIHS is the result of this merger. Both boards of directors devoted months of careful, detailed work into the process of joining forces. It was not a simple task. Most of this work has now been accomplished, and we have moved on to board development, as we all learn some new skills in our larger, combined board.

We all recognize that it is a challenge to provide permanent affordable housing on a small island where property values continue to rise and the demand for summer vacation rentals only seems to increase. To be well balanced, in fact to survive, a community must provide adequate housing for everyone. People who work here year-round, young families with children in our school, retirees with modest means, all are finding it very difficult to remain on Hornby in the face of this economic pressure. But our community needs them. To stay, they need somewhere secure, comfortable, and attractive to live. HIHS is working to help address this issue.

Our current project, started by ISLA and now under the HIHS banner, is being designed as rental homes in a village like setting with green spaces, gardens, paths and trails, and some shared facilities, a healthy place for children to play and grow, and for adults to have both privacy and a sense of community. The Elder Village started as a dream and with hard work and fundraising it became a reality.  Similarly, we are working hard and gathering funds to make this new village a reality, and we’re closer than we’ve even been.  This isn’t an impossible dream. Hold the vision! Together we can make it happen.

June 17, 2018

Dear Member of the Hornby Elder Housing Society,

We hope that you have heard by now that Elder Housing and ISLA are seriously considering joining together as one society. We are writing to encourage you to come out to the upcoming information meeting where members of the Elder Housing and ISLA boards of directors will discuss the steps that would be involved in joining our two societies, and answer questions on the risks and benefits involved. We will also have a chance to discuss the provincial grant that this one society would be seeking for the Beulah Creek property.

The information meeting will be held at 3:00 pm Sunday, June 24^th at New Horizons.

This is a big step for Elder Housing, and we would like to hear your input. Following this meeting, the boards of directors of ISLA and Elder Housing will decide whether to call Special General Meetings for their respective memberships, so that the members can vote on the motions required to join our societies. We are hoping that you will be able to come on Sunday, June 24, to take part in this important discussion.

In case you have not already seen it, we are attaching the information sheet that was distributed to the Hornby Island community in May.

Sincerely,

JoAnn Harrison

President of the Hornby Island Elder Housing Society