York Region remains committed to working with partners to address homelessness
Newmarket – The Regional Municipality of York is thankful for the significant work undertaken by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA), the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA) and HelpSeeker Technologies with the recent release of Municipalities Under Pressure: The Growing Human and Financial Cost of Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis report.
This report builds on data presented to York Regional Council in November 2023 to forecast homelessness in York Region. The report shows a significant growth in homelessness across all 47 service managers, underscoring the need for coordinated action by all levels of government.
“The report presents a stark picture of the realities faced by people experiencing homelessness across Ontario,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “Addressing homelessness is a priority requiring continued partnership and coordination to ensure people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have access to wraparound support services to help them find and keep housing.”
Within York Region, homelessness is a growing concern impacting people across all nine cities and towns. The estimated number of people experiencing chronic homelessness almost quadrupled in 2023 to an estimated 473 people, compared to 124 in 2019. Chronic homelessness describes people who have been experiencing homelessness for six months or longer in the past year, or people who have experienced homelessness for more than 18 months in the past three years.
The 2024 to 2027 York Region Homelessness Service System Plan draws on research, data analysis and forecasting plus community consultation to set a vision, and establish goals and priority areas to prevent and reduce homelessness in York Region. Rapid Deployment Actions to support implementation of the plan are underway, including adding 139 beds to the emergency and transitional housing system and expanding outreach services for people who are experiencing homelessness. York Region appreciates continued investments from the federal and provincial governments, which are instrumental in advancing key milestones outlined in the 2024 to 2027 Homelessness Service System Plan.
As part of the 2025 budget, Regional Council committed $72 million in capital funding to support construction of two new facilities, with up to 135 beds and $56 million in funding to replace three existing emergency and transitional housing facilities – Porter Place, Leeder Place and Sutton Youth Services – with 152 additional beds.
Homelessness is a complex issue. Ending chronic homelessness requires investments from senior levels of government that target root causes, optimize system capacity and ensure housing and supports meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
York Region is working with our partners across all levels of government and within our communities, using a human rights-based approach, to address homelessness and encampments.
The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to more than 1.25 million residents and 57,000 businesses with more than 629,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/regionalservices
