On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the Intentional Community Consortium (ICC) held a Housing Forum hosted by Dave Petkau Executive Director of Karis Disability Services and Ann Bilodeau CEO of KW Habilitation. This event was created to encourage and inspire other Developmental Services agencies to create affordable housing in their communities. Here, over 65 individuals in varying groups and organizations from all over Central/West Ontario gathered together to explore solutions to the affordable housing crisis faced by people with diverse abilities.  

At the Housing Forum, people had the opportunity to learn from those that have completed affordable housing projects or are in the process of completion, discover new construction options, as well as learn about affordable housing partnerships that have been successful in different communities. 

Here are some highlights from the event:

• The day began with a networking opportunity and a pre-session tour of KW Habilitation and their affordable housing site from people with lived experience. 
• Gary Gladstone, the ICC Chair said a land acknowledgement and introduced guests to our first presenter.
• First presenter Tim Welch, President of TWC Inc. did a presentation titled, “Key Factors for a Successful Affordable Housing Project”. 
• Second presenters Nadia Venafro and Jamie Spencer  representatives from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) discussed information on funding sources and opportunities as well as CMHC updates.
• ICC  Board Members moderated a morning session Q&A for guests to discuss followed by a delightful lunch.
• Third presenter Mogan Wright from mcCallumSather conducted her presentation on “Sustainable Housing Solutions: The Future of Mass Timber Construction”.
• Fourth presenters Ivan Vasyliv and Betty Vuong from Serotiny Group discussed sustainable housing solutions with their presentation titled, “Reuse not Rework.” 
• ICC Board Members moderated a final Q&A followed by a farewell. 

The ICC Housing Forum was a major success and allowed a knowledge exchange from people in the Developmental Services industry to learn more about how they can use their land or organizations to create more affordable housing for people with diverse abilities. 

A huge thank you to the ICC for creating such an impactful event close to our hearts here at KW Habilitation. We are proud to be a part of the journey to more affordable housing in our community as we begin construction on our next 18-unit affordable housing building.

This event was made possible by the ICC Board of Directors:

• Gary Gladstone, Chair of the ICC and Lead Stakeholder Relations at Reena
• David Petkau, Vice-Chair of the ICC and Executive Director of Karis Disability Services
• Patricia Franks, Secretary/Treasurer of ICC, parent of person with lived experience, and a leader at Caledon Area Families for Inclusion (CAFFI)
• Ann Bilodeau, Director of ICC and CEO of KW Habilitation
• Lino Fera, Director of ICC, parent of person with lived experience, Co-founder and Director of Cribwolf Foundation, and Co-founder and Host of webcast Cribwolf Talks.