St. James, Perth leads the way for affordable housing project

The parish of St James the Apostle is leading a bold initiative to create community owned and managed affordable housing in Perth, Ont.

The goal is a three-year campaign to create one building a year, each containing three units, in the town of 6,000, 85 kms west of Ottawa.

St James is a parish without suitable land for development but with a can-do record of supporting the wider community.  “It’s slower and harder than owning land to develop,” says the Rev. Canon Kenneth Davis, rector of St. James. “We hope to demonstrate to others: you can do this too.”  He plans to ask for the support of other denominations in the community.

Davis says it’s about convincing people to be practical, not just good-hearted about affordable housing.  “A town like Perth can improve with goodwill and generosity.”  Adds St James Outreach Committee chair David Kroetsch: “We have to stop talking and we have to start doing.”

Perth town council has agreed to review all town-owned land with a view to freeing up some for affordable housing.  

A land donation could be the only public participation in the project.  The outgoing mayor of Perth John Fenik has said he considers dealing with the lack of affordable housing a priority. 

“We presume we have to raise all the money ourselves,” says Davis who with Kroetsch has been organizing the project.

It’s known as the Caring Community Housing Project Perth, and a campaign to raise $750,000 for the first building has been opened through the Perth and District Community Foundation website (www.pdcf.ca)

The total includes a provision for the purchase of land. Organizers see a town donation combined with either a private land donation or a purchase as the key to a three-year program.  

Today the focus is on getting one building out of the ground this year. Seed funding of $10,000 from the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa has allowed Perth architect Gillian McKellar to prepare concept drawings that will be used for costing and fundraising promotion. 

Instructions to McKellar are for one fully accessible unit of one or two bedrooms and two other units with at least two bedrooms.

Davis is working with two non-profits that have strong records in supportive housing in Perth and Lanark County: Carebridge Community Support and Tayside Community Options.  He sees Carebridge as a potential owner and manager of the building.

Candidates for the units will come from Lanark County’s waiting list for affordable housing of more than 700 of which about 360 are in Perth. The St James initiative is the only one currently under development. 

St James began with a plan to upgrade existing buildings, working with landlords, but pivoted to a new-build approach after finding lack of community support. The initial inspiration came from a successful refugee housing program in which the parish played a significant role.