County council presented an updated look at their current housing stock.
The Council got an update from Rebecca Carman, who manages housing services for the county. She talked about the houses in our community that Northumberland County supports. As of 2022, there are 773 homes in total. Out of these, 369 are looked after by non-profit groups, 78 are managed by co-op housing groups, and 344 are run by the Northumberland County Housing Corporation (NCHC). This count doesn’t include the 18 new homes being built in Elgin Park, Cobourg. Of the homes we have now, 85.1% are for low-income families, which means they pay less than 30% of their income for housing. The other 15% are for affordable housing.
They also talked about the plan to add more affordable homes, which was set in the 2019 Affordable Housing Strategy. The plan aims to make 900 new affordable homes in Northumberland by 2029. They’re using different strategies to reach this goal in 10 years, like the Capital Incentive Program, NCHC Growth Strategy, and rent supplement programs. So far, they’ve reached 30% of the target, with 251 new affordable homes in progress. They’re also working with agencies to provide supportive housing starting in 2023.
Written by: Noah Lorusso