Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability ... - dnssab

In 2001, approximately 56% of West Nipissing’s and Mattawa’s renters were paying
more than 30% of their gross income on rent. This was significantly higher than
Ontario’s rate of 42%. The smallest percentage of renters in Nipissing District,
paying more than 30% of their gross income on rent, was in Chisholm (18%).
NIPISSING DISTRICT: CURRENT HOUSING SUPPLY & DEMAND, GAPS
Some shelters are over capacity: the Nipissing Transition House is a 13-bed facility
with 21 people staying there (they have had to add 9 cots); During the third quarter of
2007 (for which data was available) the Ojibway Family Resource Centre was unable
to serve 149 women; The Sturgeon Falls Family Resource Centre and the Nipissing
Transition House have waiting lists – during the third quarter of 2007, approximately
41 people were waiting for emergency shelter.
• There is a need for sixteen (16) more shelter beds to serve the youth population
ages 16-24, in North Bay and West Nipissing (Futures Residential Program).
• There is a need for transitional housing for youth (Nipissing District does not have
any “bricks & mortar” transitional housing).
• There are 143 people waiting for Supportive /Supported Housing, Group Homes and
Family Homes
• As of Dec. 2007, there were approximately 1,325 people on the waiting list for social
housing – 875 were waiting for RGI housing and 450 were waiting for market-rent
housing.
• The waiting list has increased 19.5% over the past 2 years. This increase however,
is primarily in the number of people waiting for market-rent housing – not RGI. During
the past two years, the number of people waiting for market housing has nearly
doubled (86% increase) while the number of people waiting for RGI housing has
remained unchanged (only a 1% increase). This is indicative of the low vacancy rate
in North Bay (1%) and the current rental supply shortage.
• Couples without children and singles currently have the longest waiting time on the
social housing waiting list: couples without children are waiting for over 5 years for
housing while singles are waiting for 1.5 years. It can be recalled from (page VI) that
couples without children and singles are also the fastest growing household types in
the District.
• Approximately 40% of the people on the social housing waiting list are senior citizens
and 30% are singles. The remainder of the waiting list is comprised of lone-parents
(19.5%), couples with children (6.5%) and couples without children (4%).
• Currently North Bay has one of the lowest vacancy rates in Ontario. Its average
apartment vacancy rate of 1.1% equates to approximately 34 spare apartments on
the market. Based upon the 3% equilibrium benchmark, this leaves a supply
shortage of approximately 60 apartments.
• North Bay’s vacancy rate has been below the generally accepted, healthy equilibrium
rate of 3%, for 12 of the past 19 years (or 63% of the time). It has also been lower
than Ontario’s vacancy rate for 14 of the past 19 years (or 74% of the time).
• Since 2004, the average rent in North Bay has increased 8% or by $52.
Nipissing District Housing Needs, Supply & Affordability Study, May 2008.
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