There’s a dearth of information when it comes to housing—especially rental housing—in areas of New Brunswick outside of the three big cities. But Peter Corbyn is hoping to change that, and he’s looking for help from Sackville renters.

Corbyn is a consultant working for the New Brunswick Non Profit Housing Association on a housing asset data map. He’s gathering information on housing costs, vacancies, suppliers, and basically anything that can help support further development of desperately needed affordable housing options.

“We need to come close to doubling our number of housing starts in the province relative to the 1990s,” says Corbyn. “And we’re facing a number of challenges to get there.”

Corbyn cites changing demographics leading to a reduction of skilled tradespeople in smaller communities, the rise in prices of construction and real estate, the pandemic in general, and the influx of new people moving to the province. Corbyn’s project will attempt to gather information to help smaller communities get in a better position for developing and financing affordable housing.

One component of Corbyn’s research is the gathering of accurate rental market data, especially for communities with populations under 10,000, for whom data is not currently published. “The average or median market rental rate in any given community in rural New Brunswick, whether it’s Charlotte County, Kent County, even Sackville, the peninsula, Carleton County… The rental rates are assumed to be the same for all of those regions,” says Corbyn, “which as we all know is not the case.”

Corbyn recently partnered with the Town of Sackville to launch a Sackville-focussed survey of the rental market. Links to the online survey are published on the town’s website and social media, and also right here. The survey is focused on anyone renting in the area, and asks what residents pay in rent, and for what type of home.

“We’re essentially going to be digging deeper for data in order to better identify what those rental rates are so that we can we can use that information to help finance projects,” says Corbyn.

Federal funding of non-profit housing dropped off in the 1990s. Just before it did, two Sackville-based groups sprouted up to fill needs: Marshwinds Coop was formed with its 20-unit complex off Main Street, and the Sackville and Area Housing Association was formed with four refurbished units in two buildings, all subsidized through NB Housing.

Corbyn says that there are now federal funds available for housing projects, but not all areas of the country are accessing that funding equally. “One of the challenges we face here in Atlantic Canada, for example, is that we’re only accessing about a third per capita what Ontario is [accessing],” says Corbyn. “We really need to grow the capacity of not-for-profit and co-op housing in the province. This project will help give them a good starting point to be able to do that.”

The housing asset data map will include other components designed to inspire and support growth in non-profit housing throughout the province. Corbyn says his team will be putting together local directories of organizations, including “who are the local plumbers, general contractors, electricians?”

The idea is to build a community of people and organizations that may not have connected before, but could collaborate locally. “So that they can share and meet specifically in the context of housing,” says Corbyn. “So that we can share best methods and ideas around the province so that perhaps an organization in Sackville can learn about something someone’s doing Edmundston.”

Corbyn says the data map will also include an inventory of properties in various communities that might be candidates for not for profit development.

“Whether it’s Sackville, or Salisbury, or St. Stephen or St. Andrews, we can identify quickly what particular properties could be used,” says Corbyn. “They could either be existing sites that are privately held or crown property, or even buildings or properties that can be renovated or rejuvenated, like old motels, hotels, hospitals, schools, churches, etc.”

Given that Sackville has two non-profit housing groups: Marshwinds Housing Coop and Sackville and Area Housing, CHMA asked Corbyn where he saw the most potential, with new groups forming, or with existing groups expanding?

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter,” says Corbyn. “I would say both.”

Corbyn says that over time, there could be advantages to groups consolidating, because some overhead costs, like financial audits, remain relatively consistent whether groups are managing four units or 40 units.

There’s also a need for fresh blood in some of the longstanding organizations. “Many of these projects and organizations have not added inventory in the last 25 to 35 years,” says Corbyn. “A lot of them are in sort of caretaker mode. A lot of the board of directors are quite frankly retired.”

“We do need new, young leaders in the province to address affordable and not-for-profit and co-op housing, and we’re seeing some of those individuals and organizations emerge in the province,” says Corbyn. “We do see, long term, a) the need for consolidation, and b) the need for new organizations as well.”

Corbyn expects the housing asset data map to start reporting initial findings in mid-September.

If you are a renter, you can contribute to the research underway for the housing asset data map in a survey offered in partnership with the town of Sackville. Get to the survey at this link.

Listen to the CHMA story below: