The new year always seems to provide an opportunity to review one’s plans in a new light. Maybe it’s the weather with winter taking away the distractions of many outdoor activities, or simply the realization that another year has gone, that I find I’m looking at what I want to do from a perspective of what I have done. I continue to tweak my plans to include new insights because I know I will never get it wrong and I will never get it done. I am on the journey of life.
Mid 2018, the Association had prepared a proposal for the National Housing Strategy (NHS) Demonstration Initiative managed by CMHC to promote tiny homes as an affordable housing option. We wanted to bring a tiny home to select northern Ontario cities to give people an opportunity to tour one first hand and decide if they made sense as a housing option.
Our funding proposal was aimed to demonstrate that tiny homes can meet the needs of many of the NHS target groups, at a fraction of the cost of any other form of housing. We had contacted each city government, and all were eagerly looking forward to our arrival. Unfortunately, our proposal was not funded so we had to cancel the tour to the disappointment of the city mayors and staff.
We eagerly look forward to what other innovative Demonstration Initiatives were funded instead of ours. While we would like to imagine the funding went to something even more progressive that would address affordable housing and homelessness on a larger scale, we have our doubts. We expect that other traditional methods will continue to be funded, even though they have proven to be ineffective in the past.
The Tiny Town Association believes that new forms of housing are needed to help singles, couples and single-parent families afford a home of their own and tiny homes fit this need better than any other type of housing. Join the Association and help us make a place for tiny homes.