The Affordable Housing Business Plan flows directly from the City of St. John’s Housing Charter, drafted by the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Affordable Housing (MACAH) and adopted by Council in 2011. The Charter states as its mission: “The City of St. John’s will leverage its unique capacities and build strong partnerships to produce, protect and promote affordable housing for the people of St. John’s.”

The Plan begins with a context section that situates the efforts of the Plan on the Housing Continuum. The focus in on the ‘housing crunch’ – faced by growing numbers of households that have incomes too high to be eligible for subsidized housing, but still struggle to afford rental and ownership options in the current housing market. The Context section also outlines market and demographic realities and also provides a definition of affordable housing in that context. There is also an outline of the partners who will be engaged in the implementation of this Plan: their current responses to address the shortage of affordable housing and potential new areas of collaboration.

The Housing Business Plan proposes a new approach to a complex issue, where problems are viewed as opportunities for collaborative action and investment that produces many dividends. The experience of communities across Canada shows that investment in innovative housing solutions can produce social, economic and environmental dividends such as stronger support networks, jobs in the residential construction industry and reductions in energy costs and greenhouse gases - among many others.