Bruce County Human Services says that there is a growing demand for county housing over the past year.
In a report presented during the Human Services Committee meeting on August 3rd, the number of applicants as of June 30th of this year was 1093, up from 843 at the same time in 2022.
The largest increase was for the number of applications for rent-geared-to-income housing, which increased by 32%, from 790 applications in 2022 to 1046 in 2023.
Over the same time frame, the number of family applications increased by 32%, while the number of adults applying for housing went up by 29%.
The number of senior applications saw a smaller increase of 13%.
As for the breakdown of where applicants come from within the county, the highest number was from Saugeen Shores with 549, followed by 462 in Kincardine, and 424 in Brockton.
The Human Services Department also notes that approximately 6% of the waitlist are receiving a rental subsidy or other housing support, while more than 30% of applicants currently live outside of Bruce County.
Human Services also says that there was added pressure at the end of last year, after a fire at the county-owned Glenwood Apartments, located at 308 John Street in Walkerton in December 2022.
That fire resulted in 17 residents needing to be relocated to other units within Bruce County’s housing portfolio.
Meanwhile, renovations in the Glenwood building are in the planning stages and will need approval from the insurance provider before proceeding.