Population growth in Osoyoos is expected to rise two per cent faster than the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS), according to the 2020 housing needs report released by the Town of Osoyoos. The town’s population is anticipated to rise by nine percent between 2020 and 2025 compared to the population reported in 2016 of 5,085 residents.
The housing needs report is aimed at collecting information around housing and population in Osoyoos. Director of planning and development, Gina MacKay, is overseeing the Official Community Plan of which the Housing Needs Report is part of—it has taken a little over a year to complete. She said that although the report cites a lot of statistical information, they also “had a number of meetings with our community members and stakeholders as part of the Official Community Plan update.”
In the community engagement process, the team met with many local organizations including the Southern Okanagan Association for Community Living, Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre, Destination Osoyoos, the Hotel Osoyoos Employee Housing Society/Motel and Hotel Association, and the Osoyoos Indian Band.
With a majority of the population being adults 65 years of age and over, over 80 per cent of households have only one or two residents, and often have more bedrooms than necessary. About three quarters of the population are homeowners with the other quarter being renters.
Being a resort community, a significant number of housing in Osoyoos is seasonal accommodation catered for snowbirds and tourists. Out of the 3,151 private homes in town, 21 per cent are not occupied by usual (year-round) residents, according to the report.
In July 2019, there were 191 units available for rent in the short term rental market—which represents six per cent of the private housing stock. The report also shows from questionnaire responses that there’s a shortage of rentals for seasonal and hospitality workers.
“The lack of regulations around short-term rental housing (i.e. housing accommodations shorter than 30 days in duration) leaves little long-term rental housing for hospitality workers and families in the community,” states the report.
Young families, individuals with disabilities, and low-income renter households are the groups who experience greater housing challenges including affordability, adequacy, and sustainability.
Along with this shortage, affordable housing in general is the most common challenge faced by 21 per cent of the population (on par with the RDOS at 22 per cent). Looking back at the last decade, housing sale prices have increased by an average of 49 per cent from 2009 to 2019. On the other hand, monthly median rents range from $1,000 for a 1-bedroom and $1,325 for a 3-bedroom unit.
Housing adequacy is the second most prominent issue in the housing market which involves proper housing infrastructure like privacy, ventilation, security and space. The lack of adequate housing impacts around seven per cent of the population, with the issue being more common among renters.
“it’s always a challenge, when we do these kinds of reports, when it’s been a few years since these [provincial and federal] statistics have been done. So as you can see by the report, we’re using some statistics that some people may consider somewhat outdated, but they definitely still show the trends,” said MacKay.
In terms of projections, the report states that by 2025, there will be a need for an additional 157 households and 265 more housing units to meet the population growth. Additionally, senior-led household growths are expected to grow from 43 per cent to 59 per cent of total household growth from 2016 to 2025.
