A task force with a passion for ridding Richmond of poverty is turning to landlords and homeowners for help.
The Richmond Poverty Response Committee (PRC) has appealed to the property owners to come to its table for dinner in a bid to solve the city's housing crunch.
A new project called "Richmond Rental Connect" kicks off next Monday, April 16 with the PRC hosting a conversation circle to hear from landlords and homeowners about opportunities and challenges around providing secondary suites for rental.
Participants will learn about government grants available for converting homes and about other resources for landlords.
"Richmond has some of the most expensive housing costs in all of Canada and we have a very low housing vacancy rate," said De Whalen, PRC chair.
"We are seeing more and more people squeezed out of their homes and out of Richmond due to cost increases and lack of affordable alternatives."
In 2007, Richmond legalized the use of secondary suites in private single-family houses. Best practices in other cities show that secondary suites, coach houses and garden flats are the fastest way to create more rental stock. The PRC believes that increasing the availability and affordability of secondary suites will also help decrease poverty in the community.
"We want to build a program that helps alleviate Richmond's housing crunch while helping homeowners diversify their income," said Whalen. "But we need to hear from landlords and homeowners first so we know what issues we need to address."
Dinner will be provided next Monday and Chinese and Punjabi translation will be available.
