The research that I undertook for the lunch-and-learn series is a review of Steve Pomeroy’s December 2017 discussion paper: “Envisioning a Modernized Social and Affordable Housing Sector in Canada”.
Steve Pomeroy, of Focus Consulting Inc., is an independent policy-research consultant. Steve holds a masters degree in Urban Planning and has over 32 years of experience in policy research, strategic analysis, program implementation and market research. The substantive focus of much of his work has been housing and urban research. He has worked in the municipal level as an urban planner, in the non-profit sector in co-operative housing development, and has held a variety of positions with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The discussion paper was prepared prior to the implementation of the National Housing Strategy (NHS) and new programs, as part of the consultation process for the development of the NHS itself. The consultation process spurred a dialogue about the need to modernize, reinvent or transform the affordable housing sector. Steve noted that in order to understand how the sector requires transformation, and what the outcome of a reformed sector might look like, we need to also look at the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of the sector today and historically.
We invited Steve to join in for the lunch-and-learn session and participate in an engaging discussion about the future of the affordable housing sector. Below is a summary of the key discussion paper take-aways.
The discussion paper is broken down into three sections: a review of the characteristics that define the sector today, examples of social housing transformation from around the globe, and a discussion of next steps and incentives for a sustainable future for the sector.
