Housing

on Hornby Island

Elderhousing Village

According to the 2001 census there were about 500 occupied dwellings - 68% of these occupied by owners, and 32% by renters. The effective date of the census was May 15, 2001, so this represents the off-season. Unfortunately there is no breakdown between the renters with on-going 12 month contracts and those with limited 10 month contracts.

In the year prior to the 2001 census, 21% of the population moved, 12% within the island.

The availability of low cost accommodation in a gentle climate has long attracted people to the island in the winter. This has generally meant the necessity to move out to temporary accommodation in summer, to allow the off-island owners to use the residence themselves. This need not be onerous because the summer climate is more benign. Indeed many owners move out of their real house for the summer and rent it out to tourists.

Ten years ago, welfare rates tended to define the level of rent for such accommodation, and many tenants were not particularly concerned about continuity. To-day this group of tenants is largely composed of young entreprenueurs, who are interested is putting down roots, which it is difficult to do if one must relocate every summer.

Thus one housing need is the availability of permanent housing, whether rented or owned, for those who are working and contributing to the community. ISLA, Islanders' Secure Land Association, has been formed to address this and seems to be well on its way to acquiring some land on which to build.

There is virtually no long-term rental acccommodation on the island. There no economic incentive to provide rental units. There are unfortunately no statistics on how much is available, how much is needed and what would be affordable.

The Whistlerization of Hornby Island is accelerating. This is the phenomenon where cheap houses which were built on cheap lots 30 or 40 years ago are now being bought up as second homes, at every accelerating prices. The value lies in the land; the houses are often replaced. This escalation of values has priced summer workers and would-be trades people out of the market. There is concern about where the next electrician or plumber will come from.

The lack of accommodation for summer workers has given local students a priority position for summer jobs, but that portion of the population is no longer sufficient to meet the labour needs in summer.

Finally the age spectrum on the island is skewed to retirees. In 2001, 60% of respondents declared themselves to not be in the labour force. Hornby Island Elder Housing was formed in 1992 to construct and own "affordable, safe and pleasant collective housing" in a village setting for elders who are experiencing increasing difficulty managing their daily lives. The "Village", located near the Co-op store complex currently provides seven compact residences and has space for further expansion.