The following media release was distributed by Ish Theilheimer
There will be an open, public meeting at the Killaloe Lions Hall on Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. to consider ways to help meet the need for sustainable, affordable housing in the area.
With the explosion of housing prices in the area, it has become difficult for working- and middle-class families to rent, buy or build homes.
“We had a problem with affordable housing before the pandemic came along,” says Golden Lake resident Ish Theilheimer, who is organizing the meeting. “We have an aging population. Where will the younger families and workers we need be able to afford to live in our community? The pandemic has turned the problem into a crisis.”
He believes a cooperative or non-profit housing project could get people into homes they can afford and enjoy. “And I hope we can build housing for a variety of people and families that is sustainable, energy-efficient and in line with our community needs and beliefs.”
The purpose of the meeting is to determine whether there is sufficient energy and commitment to start work on such a project. “This will not be a short-term thing. The very successful Fairfield’s project in Eganville took ten years of hard work, but it was worth it,” said Theilheimer. “People in the housing field tell me to expect this kind of time frame.”
Resource people at the meeting will include Jennifer Dombroskie, Manager of Housing and Homelessness with Renfrew County’s Community Services Department and Rockingham resident Glenn Allen, who has more than 40 years of experience in non-profit housing management in Ottawa. Althought the meeting is in Killaloe, Theilheimer hopes it may foster action in more than one municipality. Representatives from the townships of Killaloe-Hagarty-Richards, North Algona Wilberforce, Bonnechere Valley, and Madawaska Valley Townships have been invited to participate. “Municipal partnership is vital to such a project,” said Theilheimer.
Currently, the federal government has money available for affordable housing projects, though there are many steps necessary to get to the point of being “shovel-ready.” The CMHC – the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation – also has grant and loan funding programs available to help get a co-op project off the ground, but sources of local capital would be needed too.
“I hope we get a good turnout and can go from there,” said Mr. Theilheimer. “Many good things have been launched in our community from groups of people coming together like this.”
For information, please contact Ish Theilhimer, 613-757-2223 email: ishtheilheimer@gmail.com
Theilheimer,I.(2022,May13) Meeting in Killaloe to consider affordable housing in the area [media release]
Image muskoka411.ca
It’s not really a housing problem but is actually more of an employment and income problem:- the local economy has been stagnating for a long time so it’s difficult for younger people to find well-paying jobs locally but also difficult for them to move away and find jobs elsewhere so they find themselves “trapped” here with nowhere to go and nowhere to live except with their parents. This is especially a problem in west Renfrew County, South Algonquin, and North Hastings which have become a big economic “backwater” in the upper Madawaska River valley region. There are possibilities out there but you really need a new “chamber of commerce” organization for this region to perform an economic promotion and development function since the Upper Ottawa Valley CoC tends to focus much more on the Hwy 17 and 417 corridor and ignore the “backwoods” region south and east of Algonquin Park.