Affordable family housing in the Okanagan

[jinglebell]

I think there needs to be more apartments in the Okanagan and bc that are for family housing and not just for seniors and old people I do realize that our population is aging but not everything needs to be senior orientated working families an young people need housing as well I myself get really tired of every apartment rental being seniors only if they don't like kid and families then move to an old age home all they do is complain about kids and noise and people coming and going but families are our future and they build the community along with older folks

[dontrump]

I think there needs to be more apartments in the Okanagan and bc that are for family housing and not just for seniors and old people I do realize that our population is aging but not everything needs to be senior orientated working families an young people need housing as well I myself get really tired of every apartment rental being seniors only if they don't like kid and families then move to an old age home all they do is complain about kids and noise and people coming and going but families are our future and they build the community along with older folks

If mothers these days were more responsible and kept their children in order and not run around screaming and writing on walls etc I think you would see more people willing to rent apartments to them
Iam not against young familys at all, just so many are not respectful of anyone but themselves.one see too much of this

[jinglebell]

they are our future and I agree with you but there are still people in this world who have to work and support families not just head to bingo or out on a scooter

[Fancy]

The Veridian was built a couple of years ago or so and can always see if one qualifies for subsidised housing:
https://www.bchousing.org/housing-assis ... ed-housing
https://www.bchousing.org/housing-asist ... g-listings

[jinglebell]

I always think its good to have a mix of family and older people in some of these places too it keeps the older a little bit younger sometimes having kids around and makes the younger ones respect the elderly a bit more we all need housing in bc for everybody young and old landlords used to discriminate against people with kids back in early years but not every place is able to accommodate older folks I think that better at home program is a load of bs myself lots of theses older people just think they can live on their own while everyone else family mostly does everything for them then they move to an old folks home and they enjoy it and they didn't think they would

[jinglebell]

then landlords don't rent to young people because they think all they do is party and wreck things but this is not everyone there are a lot of responsible young people who are working and paying bill and they don't get any senior discount

[GordonH]

then landlords don't rent to young people because they think all they do is party and wreck things but this is not everyone there are a lot of responsible young people who are working and paying bill and they don't get any senior discount

Why should someone who's not a senior, get a senior discount.

[Fancy]

I always think its good to have a mix of family and older people in some of these places too it keeps the older a little bit younger sometimes having kids around and makes the younger ones respect the elderly a bit more we all need housing in bc for everybody young and old landlords used to discriminate against people with kids back in early years but not every place is able to accommodate older folks I think that better at home program is a load of bs myself lots of theses older people just think they can live on their own while everyone else family mostly does everything for them then they move to an old folks home and they enjoy it and they didn't think they would

You are hard to read with a run on sentence like that. You would be wrong as far as seniors being able to live at home by themselves. I know of a lot of 80+ that are doing it quite well never mind the younger ones.

[Fancy]

then landlords don't rent to young people because they think all they do is party and wreck things but this is not everyone there are a lot of responsible young people who are working and paying bill and they don't get any senior discount

And there are a lot of young people that have found a place to live and doing nicely.

[Daspoot]

There isn't as much money to be made building affordable housing compared to luxury housing or even high density senior housing. And as mentioned low income housing comes with it's own unique issues.

I do however agree that the entire valley needs more housing available to young families, I just don't have an effective answer. To be attractive to developers it needs to be subsidized, nobody wants it beside them, and most taxpayers don't want to pay for it in any way.

I blame Penticton City council because that's the "In" thing to do these days.

[Piecemaker]

Many of the buildings that are for seniors have bachelor and one-bedroom units. Not generally suitable for a family.

[Daspoot]

In order to get developers to make more entry level family housing, it will need to be subsidized in one manner or another so it's as profitable as other types of housing. Wishing they'd do it out of the goodness of their heart at the expense of the bottom line will get us nowhere.

[spooker]

There isn't as much money to be made building affordable housing compared to luxury housing or even high density senior housing. And as mentioned low income housing comes with it's own unique issues.

And there is the root problem of it all ... "not enough money to be made" ... business models are built on wringing every last penny of profit out of any endeavour instead of being satisfied with making enough profit to satisfy their goals and benefiting society in general ...

Why can't they be satisfied with making a "reasonable" profit and at the same time helping other families get out of the hole?

My friend looked at me askance when I said I'd be willing to buy a condo and rent it out to cover costs instead of charging "market" rate ... it's not that I don't need more money, my credit card debt at times can attest to that ... but I don't need "more" money at the expense of others so I can buy a new car every other year ...

[Even Steven]

In order to get developers to make more entry level family housing, it will need to be subsidized in one manner or another so it's as profitable as other types of housing. Wishing they'd do it out of the goodness of their heart at the expense of the bottom line will get us nowhere.

Well this is where the city comes in. Every new development if I'm not mistaken can be asked to include some affordable housing as part of it. This way if they want to build something and make money - they have to kick in some affordable rentals along the way. If not - no permit for you. Central Green for example has affordable housing included in their plan.

[Daspoot]

There isn't as much money to be made building affordable housing compared to luxury housing or even high density senior housing. And as mentioned low income housing comes with it's own unique issues.

And there is the root problem of it all ... "not enough money to be made" ... business models are built on wringing every last penny of profit out of any endeavour instead of being satisfied with making enough profit to satisfy their goals and benefiting society in general ...

Why can't they be satisfied with making a "reasonable" profit and at the same time helping other families get out of the hole?

My friend looked at me askance when I said I'd be willing to buy a condo and rent it out to cover costs instead of charging "market" rate ... it's not that I don't need more money, my credit card debt at times can attest to that ... but I don't need "more" money at the expense of others so I can buy a new car every other year ...

Your post assumes entry level family developments are profitable and other types are "unreasonable" profitable. This isn't really true, development of any type comes with risk, a small shift in housing prices can turn an entire development into a money loser even if it means it just takes a little while longer for units to sell. Carrying cost sink more developments than poor management.

What you are suggesting is basically charity on a pretty massive scale, development doesn't do well shooting for break-even, it's not a good business plan. What is required is incentives to level the field and entice development to be aimed at lower margin markets.

If I suggested you go to work for a wage that would allow you to just cover your costs to get there and donate the rest, would you sign up for that? Profit doesn't have to be a 4 letter word, and we shouldn't begrudge those who take the risks to make money their rewards when it goes well, because it doesn't always go right, and I'm pretty sure you don't want ill-advised risks and the associated losses to be covered for their financial losses right? We can't have it both ways, take away the profit, and not be willing to cover the losses.

If you're serious about this all, it needs to start at the Provincial and Federal Government levels with People who will put poor - lower middle class people as a priority. Trump, O'Leary and Clark are not these people.