Brantford shares its community housing strategy

Brantford's new affordable housing project CTV's Krista Sharpe takes us inside Brantford's new affordable housing apartments.

Some of the tenants at Lucy Marco Place in downtown Brantford have gone from tents, to tenants.

The community housing building on Queen Street opened its doors last month.

“It’s providing ample opportunities for individuals living different walks of lives, living precarious, whether they're coming from a motel system or from an encampment system,” explained Adrian Tilochand, the city’s housing operations manager.

“Most folks have signed lease agreements,” added Mary Musson, the senior director of community service and social development. “This is their permanent home.”

Located across the street from Brantford City Hall, Lucy Marco Place has 41 brand new affordable housing units. The apartments are not big, and not luxurious, but they give a home for those who don’t have one.

The city bought the building two years ago from Wilfrid Laurier University. At that time it was being used as a student residence, with three and four-bedroom units with shared kitchens and living spaces.

Project Manager Jeff Lowe said the city renovated the property to create additional one and two-bedroom units.

“Once we divided the units up, we had to provide the plumbing and the electrical and upgrade everything,” he explained to CTV News.

In total, the city spent about $11 million to purchase the building and make the renovations.

Community resources will also have satellite offices in the basement of Lucy Marco Place, to help tenants stick with their housing and personal goals.

“Those individuals are just beyond grateful, especially at this time of year, and, during the cold season, to just kind of get out of an encampment situation and live in a warm, cozy kind of environment with wraparound supports,” Tilochand said.

Rental prices

Lucy Marco Place is owned and operated by the City of Brantford. They’ve also supported some of the 1,100 families on the waitlist for affordable community housing in Brant County.

“We have units that are at 100 per cent average market rent, as set by CMHC, Mortgage Housing Corporation. And we have units priced at 80 per cent of the average market rent. And we have community housing which is rent-geared towards income,” Musson explained.

CTV News asked Musson what the average market rent was set at.

“Paying market rent at Lucy Marco Place, you'll be paying roughly $1,100 for a one bedroom,” she said. “The biggest trick is making sure that we're at least revenue neutral and we're not losing money.”

Musson further explained that the popular social housing style of the 1990s and late 2000s, with the whole building rent-geared towards income, is out of date.

“In this day and age, you don’t have enough revenue coming in to operate the building,” she said. “However, with a mixed income model where you have a variety of rent levels, we are able to build and maintain a building.”

Musson said the City of Brantford is working towards building even more affordable housing with the same mixed-rent style. They’re also considering selling city assets to afford it.