Huron County's director of economic development is working on a number of fronts to address the housing shortage in the county. But Cody Joudry cautions there won't be any quick fixes.
Joudry said it would take two people making at least $20 per hour to be able to afford a house with a price tag between $200,000 and $300,000.
“The challenge is if all of the housing we see being developed is north of that market, it means, although there may be sales because there's pressure, for example, from the GTA, it still means there's a shortage of housing within that market bracket with that income level," said Joudry.
Joudry added realtors are telling him that people hoping to get away from high housing costs in Toronto are being advised to drive until they qualify.
“What that means is you have to live a distance away that matches your income level and that the further out from the GTA you go, the less the housing prices are, the greater the distance you have to travel,” he added.
Joudry said raising salaries is not a quick solution either because that also increases the prices of everything people spend their money on. He said, at this point, the only thing that's growing at a disproportionate rate is the cost of housing and wages can't keep up.
Joudry said they're trying to encourage the development of homes that are affordable to the workforce in Huron County.
"And that our communities are open to different types of housing because different types of housing are more affordable and that's an important step in this mix. Not everyone can have a super big expensive home,” he said.
There has to be housing that's affordable for that couple with a combined income of about forty dollars an hour. And he said the staff is looking for solutions to that problem.