What, housing a problem in our town?
It is, if you're trying to find digs to rent.
Something positive must be happening in one sense, because housing starts in this area don't seem to be declining. If you drive around Grand Falls-Windsor, you will see some For Sale signs. But if you look more closely, the lettering of many of those "For Sale" signs are overlaid with a "Sold."
If you want to buy or build a home in town (or just outside), and if you have the money to make it work, there's no shortage of residences to buy or land to mark as your very own. You can even put up a sign to keep annoying people from trespassing. For example, if you live in certain states or provinces with noticeable right-wing tendencies, like Texas or Alberta, you might even want to erect a sign with "trespassers will be shot on sight with my Carl Gustav" or "trespassers beware - my property is guarded by an Angus bull with rabies." (Might be Stephen Harper's ranch).
But what if you just moved here, as a college student or young professional and want to rent something in this community? You're pretty much out of luck.
Just as well to pitch a tent at Church Road Park.
Or set up your RV at the Exploits Valley Mall. Make sure it's not a nice, shiny expensive one, like an Airstream. Or better yet, why not a sleeping bag and a garbage bag, or a large clear one for recyclables, so people can see how frustrated you've become in trying to find digs to rent?
Recent studies are showing that homelessness, or at least the lack of affordable housing, is not strictly an urban problem. In some Newfoundland communities, for example, friends are sleeping over at other friends' and relatives' houses because while they may be working, they don't have enough money to rent an affordable home, let alone buy one.
In many Newfoundland communities, including our own, there is subsidized housing, thanks to the provincial government. But in our community and many others in the province, there's not a lot of it. And anyways, there are people who wouldn't mind renting a nice house or apartment, and have the money to do so, but they don't want subsidized housing.
What's the problem here in Grand Falls-Windsor, and what can council do about it, if any? The problem is that there are plenty of properties to rent and developers are building more. But they're for senior citizens. More than one development in this community has made it clear that their places are for 50 and up only, and no kids are welcome. And there's hardly anything to rent in terms of decent apartments. The sadder part is that someone has to approve these seniors' developments instead of supporting a different kind of rental housing market.
Perhaps it's time for council to encourage developers to build complexes where families are welcome; where young professionals can live; where post-secondary students can rent. There's no shortage of housing when it comes to seniors. But for young people and families? Advertise that your house is for rent and your phone will ring off the hook - because rental properties are hard to come by.
If we want our community to grow, especially in the wake of the mill closure, we want to make our town more attractive to people who want to take a job or start up their own businesses. We need strong and vibrant people who will revitalize the community.
Our council can't make businesses start up, but they can work with stockholders to make the place more attractive to potential rental property developers so that these younger professionals, students and families have somewhere to live until they buy their own homes.
Otherwise, we run the risk of being a creepy old town.
Sue Hickey
Gee, but I wanna go home
- Published on May 7th, 2009
- Published on June 22nd, 2010
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Staff ~ Advertiser
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What, housing a problem in our town?
It is, if you're trying to find digs to rent.
Something positive must be happening in one sense, because housing starts in this area don't seem to be declining. If you drive around Grand Falls-Windsor, you will see some For Sale signs. But if you look more closely, the lettering of many of those "For Sale" signs are overlaid with a "Sold."
If you want to buy or build a home in town (or just outside), and if you have the money to make it work, there's no shortage of residences to buy or land to mark as your very own. You can even put up a sign to keep annoying people from trespassing. For example, if you live in certain states or provinces with noticeable right-wing tendencies, like Texas or Alberta, you might even want to erect a sign with "trespassers will be shot on sight with my Carl Gustav" or "trespassers beware - my property is guarded by an Angus bull with rabies." (Might be Stephen Harper's ranch).
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Comments
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- lisa jones baker
- - August 27th, 2010 at 06:03:25
hi ,i been looking high and low for a place to rent in gfw ,i cannot find anything ,im living in alberta ,and by the looks of things home in gfw , i will be staying right where im to ,alberta ,with no family ,no friends ,just me and my 3 kids ,,well thanks for nothing.....i wish i could go home .......
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- Frank
- - June 28th, 2010 at 14:49:43
Amy, how can you promote to all different age groups? Every town in Canada does this. What brings people to towns are jobs!
Housing for rent is limited in this town because most people are family people or seniors, hence small transient population here . -
- Tracey
- - June 28th, 2010 at 14:49:43
And I thought it was just my limited ability to search out the classifieds from afar! I have been searching for a few months now to no avail. It is certainly a landlords market when you feel like you are on the job interview of your life to land an apartment. Children...god no...and pets, well thats just a ridiculous notion. Silly me. My son lives with his cousin due to lack of housing and we are forced to look to another community for our move home in the near future. We had planned to rent for a short term and buy within the next few years to raise our family but it seems GFW is not likely to be the vibrant family oriented town it once was. Very sad indeed.
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- Amy
- - June 28th, 2010 at 14:49:37
Promotion of the town as a retirement town certainly isn't going to bring jobs to our area. Young Professionals and Young Families will brighten the outlook for potential business and the retirees will follow as they relocate to be near their children and grandchildren.
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- William
- - June 28th, 2010 at 14:49:24
I agree Sue. As an investor just view the demographics of Grand Falls-Windsor, 50+ is the average age and climbing. The best return on your investment is adult living, I am sorry but the facts are the facts. I am a firm believer Grand Falls-Windsor should be marketing itself as a Retirement Village similiar to Elliott Lake, Ontario. I would like to see all levels of Government provide a rebate on electricity for the Exploits Valley region for everyone 55+. (With the new power assets Nalcor has aquired) This would attract numerous Ex-Pat Newfoundlanders to return to a beautiful full service community. You have to realize that the 50+ do not require all the services a young family, and young professional need. Maybe that is something prospective Councillors could campaign on.
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- Amy
- - June 28th, 2010 at 14:49:17
Sue....So True! You hit the nail on the head again this week! We need to promote Grand Falls-Windsor as a Family Town as well as a great town to Retire and to begin a Professional life. The promotion of GFW must be to all areas...families, retirees and young professionals!
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- Frank
- - June 22nd, 2010 at 16:05:11
Amy, how can you promote to all different age groups? Every town in Canada does this. What brings people to towns are jobs!
Housing for rent is limited in this town because most people are family people or seniors, hence small transient population here . -
- Tracey
- - June 22nd, 2010 at 16:05:11
And I thought it was just my limited ability to search out the classifieds from afar! I have been searching for a few months now to no avail. It is certainly a landlords market when you feel like you are on the job interview of your life to land an apartment. Children...god no...and pets, well thats just a ridiculous notion. Silly me. My son lives with his cousin due to lack of housing and we are forced to look to another community for our move home in the near future. We had planned to rent for a short term and buy within the next few years to raise our family but it seems GFW is not likely to be the vibrant family oriented town it once was. Very sad indeed.
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- Amy
- - June 22nd, 2010 at 16:05:03
Promotion of the town as a retirement town certainly isn't going to bring jobs to our area. Young Professionals and Young Families will brighten the outlook for potential business and the retirees will follow as they relocate to be near their children and grandchildren.
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- William
- - June 22nd, 2010 at 16:04:47
I agree Sue. As an investor just view the demographics of Grand Falls-Windsor, 50+ is the average age and climbing. The best return on your investment is adult living, I am sorry but the facts are the facts. I am a firm believer Grand Falls-Windsor should be marketing itself as a Retirement Village similiar to Elliott Lake, Ontario. I would like to see all levels of Government provide a rebate on electricity for the Exploits Valley region for everyone 55+. (With the new power assets Nalcor has aquired) This would attract numerous Ex-Pat Newfoundlanders to return to a beautiful full service community. You have to realize that the 50+ do not require all the services a young family, and young professional need. Maybe that is something prospective Councillors could campaign on.
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- Amy
- - June 22nd, 2010 at 16:04:41
Sue....So True! You hit the nail on the head again this week! We need to promote Grand Falls-Windsor as a Family Town as well as a great town to Retire and to begin a Professional life. The promotion of GFW must be to all areas...families, retirees and young professionals!
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