Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher recently announced the launch of the city’s Task Force on Attainable Housing. The creation of the group was one of Kutcher’s central campaign promises during the November municipal election. - Colin MacLean/SaltWire NetworkSUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Six months from now, Summerside should have a better idea as to how it is going to deal with its housing crisis.
The group, whose members include builders, policymakers, non-profit community groups and elected officials, has six months to do its work and come back to the city council with a list of recommendations. The plan is to find out how Summerside can not only increase its housing stock but also make accessing that housing more feasible, said Kutcher.“What we’ve done here is … connect our shared challenge with our local expertise,” said Kutcher.
Susan DesRoche is one of the co-founders of Summerside's only women’s shelter, LifeHouse, and now a member of the new task force. She believes she brings a “boots on the ground” perspective to the group. “I think this task force is extremely timely and important,” added Satyajit Sen, an adviser for the Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities with a focus on land development-related policy. He is another task force member.