Residents of Somerset Gardens, an experiment in affordable housing at the corner of Somerset and Elgin Streets, are now in charge of their condominium building after the condo board elections marked the official turnover.
More than 80 residents attended the meeting late last month to elect their first five neighbours to the board. “There was a good feeling in the room,” says newly elected board member Sue Taylor.
The condo has been celebrated as a milestone for affordable housing. Ten units are owned and rented by the Multifaith Housing Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides affordable rental housing in Ottawa.
“This is very inspiring because a combination of different groups in society have come together and all feel it’s important to create affordable living,” says Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes, who was present at the meeting.
Six of those units are allocated to people on the City of Ottawa Social Housing Registry and are rented at $460 a month, significantly lower than the average market rent.
The remaining four units are rented at no more than $793 a month, which is the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in Ottawa in 2006.
Most of the people on the registry have incomes below $31,500 per year and are at risk for losing their homes, according to MHI executive director Sue Evans. There are currently over 9,000 people on the waiting list and it is estimated to be more than a four-year wait for housing.
“As a community, we need to address the problem that there is not enough affordable housing,” says Evans. “This is an issue that affects us all.”