Dear Editor,
Adam Taylor’s plea for Bowfest volunteers touched a nerve for any of us formerly involved with Bowen housing, as we had expressed concerns that there was a relationship between the relative affordability of housing and the future of volunteerism.
When households have to spend a disproportionate amount of their time on survival issues, there’s less time available for the many volunteer positions that maintain Bowen’s social fabric.
He points to 1978 statistics, wherein an island population of 1,000 could generate 200 volunteers, yet in recent years, with a population nearing 4,000, there is a chronic shortage of volunteers. The difference may well related to the amount of energy it now takes for a household to maintain itself. The current costs of maintaining a household do not relate to household earnings in the same way they did back then.
All the signs of this problem have been evident for quite some time now and were in fact the stimulus for the formation of a housing group. Even though the mayor of the day said that housing affordability was a fundamental issue, very little traction was gained. The only forward movement was the legalization of secondary suites and the approval of a co-housing project, after years of unnecessary delay.
Employer’s staffing difficulties also relate to the cost and availability of housing that can be afforded by the wages they are able to pay, while remaining competitive.
Even though housing costs challenge household incomes, Bowen’s current real-estate boom (which sees gleeful realtors “hopeful that more listings will come online and prices remain stable, keeping the market steady”) is due to the fact that Bowen’s unaffordability becomes relatively affordable compared to Vancouver’s exceptional unaffordability. The tradeoff is several hours a week spent commuting to save that $300,000 mortgage differential.
The net result is less free time for such noble causes as volunteering with events and organizations that maintain the social fabric. I’m not sure what the solution or upside of this housing issue is. Perhaps the high cost of housing and commuting time will lead to more home-based businesses and entrepreneurial activity, and more available volunteer hours.
Richard Best
