By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Filling the gap in the housing continuum.
That’s the goal of Brickworks, a made-in-Chatham-Kent initiative aimed at giving low-to-moderate income earners a chance to own their own home.
Five years in the making, the project is the brainchild of the non-profit Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust (OVCLT). The intent is to allow renters, who would never otherwise have the opportunity, to take ownership of high quality, eco-friendly small homes.
At a recent public information meeting, OVCLT volunteers outlined how Brickworks will operate. The land trust will offer buyers a “life lease,” along with a purchase price below market value. The trust will maintain overall care of the property.
Located on 2.6 acres of land on Taylor Avenue in Chatham, the development includes 30 units, including detached homes, duplexes and triplexes, as well as a shared community building. The majority of the homes are two bedrooms and range in size from 600 to 950 square feet.
Four of the units will be accessible.
According to project manager Rose Linseman, the Brickworks is akin to a “missing rung” on the housing ladder in between renting and owning a home, as there are no affordable choices in the gap.
“We are looking to create a pilot project with the Brickworks project, that starts to add rungs back onto the ladder from rental to homeownership, a ladder that is missing so many rungs that it’s currently impossible to climb,” Linseman said.
Another plus, she added, is a sense of community the development will foster.
Tiffany Lilliman, a local property manager specializing in social housing, said the OVCLT has come up with a creative affordable-housing solution with the Brickworks.
“I know there’s a lot of people who don’t think it’s possible, but I 100 per cent believe it’s possible,” Lilliman said. “I know a lot of hard work has gone into this.”
Lilliman said the development will appeal to single parents, retirees, people looking to downsize, as well as modest earners trying to enter the market.
Next steps for the Brickworks, said Linseman, include the finalization of the site plan and contractor approvals, to be followed by site preparation and remediation.
If all goes well, work could begin this fall. After the site is ready, construction of the homes is expected to take 18 months.
In 2019, Brickworks started out with a budget of around $8.5 million, but Linseman said the number has yet to be finalized. The organization has received various grants and donations, including $200,000 from the Chatham-Kent, and is working with an unnamed financial institution to help get things off the ground.
Part of the difficulty in launching the project, Linseman said, is that most upper tier government grants and funding programs are geared towards supporting rental housing, rather than those offering home ownership.
The OVCLT is currently operating with a team of 12 volunteers and is actively seeking fresh faces to join in all capacities. The agency plans on holding a financial session for the public in the near future so interested parties can learn how to set themselves up to qualify for one of the Brickworks homes. New partners, investors and donors are also welcome to join the effort.
Currently, there are 1,200 names on the list for affordable housing in Chatham-Kent, with a wait time of five to six years.
