In October 2007, the government of Saskatchewan announced it would invest $45 million in housing initiatives for Saskatchewan families.
One of these initiatives was a program, Secondary Suites, which would provide financial assistance to property owners who want to create extra living space within their homes.
Repair Programs officer Debbie Mardell and Repair Programs director Grant Tofte of Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) came to Humboldt to talk about the program on November 23 at the Uniplex.
"The idea behind the Secondary Suite program," said Mardell, who gave the presentation, "is that it helps increase the supply of affordable housing for low- to moderate-income people."
As Saskatchewan experiences a growing demand for affordable housing of all types, secondary suites play an important role as one of those options, which has the advantage to benefit homeowners, tenants and the community.
SHC defines a secondary suite as one that is a "private, self-contained residential unit located within an existing home or an addition to a home."
It must have a separate entrance, its own bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedroom(s), but may share features such as parking, laundry and storage.
Humboldt resident Elan Buan, who attended the presentation, thinks the program is a good initiative for people who have room in their home or are currently building.
"There's going to be a lot of transient workers coming to town as the city grows," said Buan, "so putting in a secondary suite makes sense."
The program offers a forgivable loan for 50 per cent of the total construction or renovation costs to a maximum of $24,000 per suite in the southern area of Saskatchewan, $28,000 for the northern part of the province.
SHC has an established set of criteria for homeowners to be eligible for the loan, and it advises applicants to receive written funding approval from them before beginning renovations to an existing suite.
SHC also sets out the criteria for homeowners when they are choosing a tenant to occupy their suite. For example, it establishes the maximum annual tenant income for a single person or couple with no dependants as well as for a household with dependants.
"The tenants that you place in your suite must be eligible based on their income," Mardell said. "The current limits for a household with dependants, for example, cannot have a total household income that exceeds $52,000."
It also stipulates that the homeowner or landlord (if a rental property) must keep rates affordable for a 10-year period, and sets the maximum rental permitted for a one- , two- or three-bedroom unit according to the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Median Market Rent schedule.
Mardell explained that during the term of the secondary suite forgiveable loan, the rent being charged to the tenant may not exceed the current limits as set by SHC.
Mardell and Tofte's presentation followed an earlier information session about building new homes at entry-level market prices, called Headstart on Homes. Both sessions were initiated by the City of Humboldt to provide information about some of the different options available to provide additional housing in the area.
