Rental vacancy woes

Photo: Contributed

It's not easy to find a place to live in Vernon.

Vacancy rates are down and the cost of renting what is available is up – and that's making things tough for many.

According to statistics released by CMHC, the vacancy rate for one-bedroom units has dropped from 3.7 per cent to 2.4; two-bedroom units dropped from 4.4 per cent to 4.0. Three-bedroom accommodations saw the biggest drop – from 5.3 per cent to just 1.0 per cent.

Only bachelor units saw an increase in availability, from 3.7 per cent to 9.1. Overall, vacancies in the city are down from 4.1 per cent to 3.5 per cent.

Barbara Levesque, executive director for the John Howard Society of the North Okanagan, says the society has two programs to help people find a place to call home.

One program helps homeless people find shelter, while the second works with people who have a home, but are having a hard time keeping it.

“It's very difficult, especially for bachelor and one-bedroom apartments,” said Levesque, adding CMHC statistics do not accurately reflect the actual situation, as many of the available units are designated for those 55 and older.

The cost of renting has also gone up across the board. According to CMHC, a bachelor suite will rent for about $550 and a three-bedroom for about $740. However, a quick Internet search reveals bachelor suits going for as much as $800 a month and multi-room units easily topping $1,000.

Levesque said many people simply can't afford it.

“It should never be more than 30 per cent of your income,” she said. “But you can very quickly end up at more than 50 per cent for someone in a minimum-wage job. On top of that are the regular costs of living.”

Levesque says the City of Vernon has policies in place to support affordable housing and works with groups like the Social Planning Council of the North Okanagan, but there is no quick fix to the problem.

She says part of the challenge is that Vernon does not receive any federal money for affordable housing, unlike Kamloops and Kelowna.