The County of Wellington says a proposal from a private citizen's group looking to build establish a temporary tiny homes community for the unhoused in Guelph "appears to not be viable" in its current state.
In a report released Thursday, the county's director of housing services, Mark Poste, said there were several necessary elements missing from the proposal from the Guelph Tiny Homes Coalition (GTHC).
"To be evaluated, the necessary criteria used to assess viability, such as secured land, a fully costed operating and capital budget, demonstrated financial viability, programme designs, formalized partnerships, client management, site designs, planning approvals and detailed construction timelines must be present," states the report.
It does go on to state that once the "required information is provided," the county will work with the city and the GTHC to evaluate the proposal and provide feedback.
The county acknowledged the work done by GTHC and respects the project aiming to create a structured encampment for unhoused people.
The report is in response to Guelph city council’s May resolution that housing services staff to work with city staff to determine the viability of a tiny homes project proposal from GTHC.
GTHC was formed this year and its goal is to create a tiny home community where unhoused people can live in a temporary supportive housing situation.
The county receives submissions from several community regarding affordable housing projects, but “not all proposals are ready to proceed,” said in the report.
The county is looking for more details on how a tiny homes property would be operated and if it would fall under the Residential Tenancies Act. The project seems to be reliant on volunteers and there needs to be more details on staffing.
It’s looking for more information regarding a “formal commitment from local health agencies to ensure success of model and well-being of residents on site.”
Cost is another concern. The report noted Waterloo’s structured encampment which cost the region $5.5 million in its first year and the operating costs are projected to be $2.5 million annually. In GTHC’s proposal the estimated operating costs is $627,000 and the county believes this is an underestimate of the costs.
“Significant work is needed to move this concept into the pre-development planning phase, which will be a costly process,” said in the report.
“The best way for our community to address homelessness is by preventing new experiences of homelessness and by permanently housing those that are already experiencing homelessness,” said in the report.
According to information from the by-name list and Guelph bylaw there are 17 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Guelph. Unsheltered homelessness are people who are living rough sometimes on their own or in small groups, like encampments.
A staff report including GTHC’s proposal is on the agenda for a special Guelph council meeting on July 16.
