Affordable Housing Workshop + Design Charette
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In partnership with Choices for Youth (CFY), we hosted a virtual discussion on affordable housing in rural and remote Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). The workshop encouraged public dialogue on the effects that a lack of affordable housing is having on rural communities in the province. Co-led by Yorabode’s Emily Campbell, the goal of the charette was to co-design several units of affordable housing in the Port Rexton region. The charette hosted nearly 50 participants, with many interested in living in the newly designed affordable housing units. Concerns were voiced over the current housing crisis in the Port Rexton region, particularly that the number of vacation rentals outnumbers the current housing stock – leaving residents without affordable housing options.
“With the rest and success of our [Newfoundland’s] tourism sector, many landlords are choosing to convert affordable housing to Airbnb’s” voiced one participants “[This] is great for the landlord, but in regions with a limited inventory of rental properties, this can be absolutely detrimental.”
An educational and thought-provoking afternoon led to report which will aid us in our design. A big thanks to Jen Crowe, Robert Leamon, and Laura Barnes of the CFY team as well as Emily Campbell and the Yorabode team for making this possible.
This article was originally published by Choices for Youth.