OpiniOn Line
Creston Valley Advance Thursday, October 2, 2014
New building the best solution To the Editor: (Re: “Is housing development actually ‘affordable’?” Sept. 18 Advance) Mr. Bulkowski offers calculations to suggest that it would have been better value for the Creston Valley Community Housing Society to purchase old homes and renovate them than to build. In fact, we discussed this approach, among others. Let me share some of our calculations. There are many for sale signs in Creston area right now. If the target tenants for the six units were single people or couples, purchasing existing units might indeed be the easiest and most economic plan. However, our research determined that low-income
families were the group most in need of help with housing. When we look for potential homes, we first remove anything that requires a car to travel to the town core. Take out any units that are in projects that don’t allow children. Four out of the six units have three bedrooms. Most of the inexpensive units for sale are now off our list. Finally, remove anything that is a fixer-upper. Our funding partners have exacting criteria and as the old adage goes, renovations always cost twice as much and take twice as long as you expect. Our shopping list is now much shorter than it originally appears. It consists of the very houses that young employed families are able to buy. The math gets a little more complicated now. When one buys an old house, major costs are spread out over years — perfect for a family with a stable income, not as good for a small, volunteer organization. In new construction, these costs are paid up front. Maintaining older houses can be an
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expensive, time consuming and uncertain process. To cite another old adage, pay now or pay later. The affordable part of affordable housing refers to the costs to tenants. Construction technology has improved over the years. These units are projected to have an Energuide rating of 84, offering our tenants very low utility costs. From a landlord’s perspective, it will be less costly and less labour intensive to operate a single building rather than six individual buildings. Research by the Canadian Medical Association and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation tells us that investing in affordable housing pays high dividends in the long-term health and well being of low-income families. Purchasing old houses to renovate and rent at a reasonable price is one way of making that investment. However, for our group and for our target tenants, it was not the right solution. Heather More, President Creston Valley Community Housing Society
Opening to grace requires action
Opening to grace is an action, a Pando, has a root system that spans verb, like loving. Christian faith is not 100 acres and shoots up a forest of a set of beliefs; it is a way, an action. trees to form the world’s heaviest Christian faith contains a variety of organism. The celebrated Montezuma sets of beliefs, tenants and stories, but Cypress in Oaxaca, Mexico, is believed as Jesus said, it can all be boiled down to the Shema: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your strength and your soul, and love your neighbour as yourself: an action, or practice. The Sundays of September through to Thanksgiving, in many United churches, is called Shelley Stickel-Miles the Season of Creation. Last week, we looked at pictures of some of the world’s most amazing to be 2,000 years old. The “Tree of trees (Google the world’s seven most Life” which 100 miles off in the desert amazing trees). These pictures are an all by itself, sends its roots hundreds appreciation of God’s world and begs of feet down to aquifers deep in the the question, “ How tenaciously do we Earth. The persistent and peculiar nature hold onto core values of life?” The Quaking aspen in Utah, named of the growth of various trees can
guide us to some of the same meditations as we read in Genesis about being “kin” with all creation. Do we realize our neighbours’ health is connected with ours? Much of the scriptures state that we are "born to search for God,” or to stand in awe of the mystery of life. Consider the parable of the Tree of Tenere, which died in 1973, a 10-foot acacia estimated to be more than 300 years old. This one tree survived in the desert long after its whole forest of sister trees was buried by desert sands, and 250 miles from any other tree it was struck down by a drunk driver! Trees reach to the light; they sip all the nurture and goodness around them. There is much to contemplate and learn from trees, from their growth, their sway, their presence, their survival and demise. See GRACE, page 8
Hey, it’s that time of year to talk about time! Whoa, hang on before you start warming up that tar and bagging up chicken feathers to accost me in the parking lot after work — I’m talking about your personal time and how you spend it. And trust me, using the term “spend it” is quite apt as most of us realize as we age, it is a finite currency. I always liked the words of comedian Red Skelton on the subject of life who stated something to the effect of, “You might as well have fun as you are not getting out it alive.” The conversation about value of time arose with some acquaintances debating the cost of gathering and burning firewood for heat rather than natural gas or electric heat or other methods. It’s pretty easy to quantify hard costs
question of what are you doing with all that time you save by bumping up the thermostat rather than dropping larch bark and spiders across your living room. If it is spent sitting on your couch eating Doritos and watching reruns of Storage Wars, I would wager that by getting outdoors travelling up a forestry road and enjoying nature while getting some actual physical exercise, as well as possibly socializing with family or friends while foraging for lignin, you are right: There is no comparison. Don’t get me wrong; we can pound back a bag of those classic chips in the yellow wrapper same as the next person (even though we feel slightly guilty doing it). See SPENDING, page 8
Opening to Grace
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