Residents in Windsor-Essex are anxious about their ability to obtain housing, with 66 per cent saying the availability of housing is either poor or terrible, a survey by Abacus Data suggests.
The survey, conducted for the Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors, also showed 58 per cent of residents who currently do not own a home are either pessimistic or have given up on the idea of owning a home.
It was released leading up to the association’s conference last week that was attended by former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak, who is now chief executive officer of the Ontario Real Estate Association.
“Residents report having a great quality of life living in Windsor and Essex County and they give our elected officials strong marks on most city services,” Mark Lalovich, president of the real estate association said in a news release.
“One area where there is a lot of frustration and concern is housing affordability. That concern should be a call to action to all elected officials in our region that we need urgent action to build more housing.”
The housing issue affects all age groups and demographics, said the association, adding 63 per cent of residents surveyed support construction of more homes.
More housing is needed across the spectrum, said Executive Officer of Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors Krista Gionet, but what’s needed most, according to the association, is so-called “middle housing” — semi-detached, row, duplex, triplex and fourplex-style dwellings.
- Cut zoning red tape to permit more in-fill housing;
- End exclusionary zoning and legalize missing-middle housing;
- Eliminate parking minimums in downtown areas;
- Hire more planning staff to support the city and county planning departments;
- Sell surplus city and county land to build affordable housing.
Just 16 per cent of non-homeowners are optimistic about securing a home in their chosen community due largely to skyrocketing prices, according to the survey, with 39 per cent citing that as the main problem. Another 26 per cent say making a down payment is a major problem.
Many residents are also pessimistic about their chances to secure affordable housing. Sixty-six per cent of Windsor-Essex residents say the situation is either poor or terrible when it comes to affordable housing, with only 29 per cent rating the situation as excellent or good. Pessimism on the issue is slightly higher in the county (68 per cent vs. Windsor at 63 per cent).
Still, residents in Windsor-Essex seem to enjoy the way of life the area has to offer. Thirteen per cent say the quality of life is excellent, 50 per cent of those who responded said the quality of life in the area is good and 26 per cent say it is ok. Eight per cent said it is poor and three per cent say it is terrible.
In the search for well-paying jobs, 32 per cent say local prospects are excellent or good, while 29 per cent say prospects are poor or terrible. Thirty-four per cent say prospects for a well-paying job are okay.
When it comes to crime, 52 per cent say their safety is excellent or good, 31 per cent say it’s okay in the region and 17 per cent say it’s poor or terrible.
Residents’ attitudes towards health care are generally split, with 39 per cent say access is excellent or good, while 24 per cent say it is okay and 36 per cent say it’s poor or terrible.
And what do residents like the most? The quality of parks and recreational services (67 per cent say excellent or good), the quality of schools, (57 per cent say excellent or good), and the quality of city or county services (54 per cent say excellent or good).
The survey, conducted Oct. 4-26, included 700 adult residents from Windsor and Essex County, including 420 live interviews and 280 interviews conducted online. The margin of error is +/- 3.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.