York Region advances new 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan to address growing community needs

July 02, 2026

Newmarket – York Regional Council approved The Regional Municipality of York’s new 2026 to 2035 Housing and Homelessness Plan.

“Despite significant investments and progress made in response to a housing crisis, the demand for affordable housing continues to outpace supply and too many residents are struggling to find and keep a place to call home,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Eric Jolliffe. “Through coordinated action, strategic investment and strengthened partnerships, York Region is committed to building more affordable homes, preventing homelessness and providing the supports residents need.”

As the provincially designated Service Manager under the Housing Services Act, 2011, York Region is required to maintain a 10-year housing and homelessness plan and report on progress annually. The plan sets a road map to address housing and homelessness challenges, strengthen the system and improve outcomes for residents over the next decade. It has been informed by consultations with community partners, agencies, local municipalities and residents.

“York Region is taking a coordinated approach to address the growing housing crisis,” said Town of Newmarket Mayor John Taylor, Chair of the Region’s Housing and Homelessness Committee. “This 10-year plan sets a clear path forward to increase and sustain supply, strengthen supports for residents and work with our partners to build and advocate for a more responsive and resilient housing system.”

The new plan will respond to housing needs in York Region, which continues to intensify:

  • More than 22,000 households were waiting for subsidized housing at the end of 2025, a 49% increase since 2022
  • Average wait time for a community housing unit reached 10 years in 2025
  • Approximately 2,400 people experienced homelessness in 2025, including more than 1,100 experiencing chronic homelessness
  • Emergency and transitional housing regularly operate at or near capacity, with average stays more than doubling since 2019

The plan includes three priorities the Region will deliver over the next 10 years:

  • Increase and preserve rental supply by creating new and repairing existing non-market housing options, including emergency, transitional, community and supportive housing
  • Help people find and keep housing by preventing homelessness and connecting people experiencing homelessness to the right housing options and supports to ensure homelessness is brief and non-recurring
  • Strengthen and advocate for the housing system by building capacity and coordinating action across partners, including other levels of government

York Region continues to make significant investments to address housing needs. The 2026 10-year capital plan will deliver more than 580 new affordable and subsidized homes and 244 new and redeveloped emergency and transitional housing units.

The Region’s 2026 budget invests $95 million in key housing and homelessness initiatives, including prevention supports, outreach services, rent benefits and capital repair funding to preserve existing community housing. Despite these investments, the Region cannot meet growing demand alone. Delivering the new housing and homelessness plan requires investment from senior levels of government and collaboration across the system, including with municipalities, housing providers and community agencies.

To accelerate delivery of permanent housing solutions, the Region’s Housing and Homelessness Committee endorsed extending the Rapid Transit/Infrastructure Levy for Regional Council’s consideration through the next multi-year budget. Extending this levy for 2027 to 2030 will enable the Region to double its non-market housing target from approximately 1,000 to 2,000 new units over the duration of the plan, with federal and provincial support.

The 2026 to 2027 Action Plan includes commitments to:

  • Advance four new community housing developments, and new emergency and transitional housing
  • Launch new programs to build non-profit housing development capacity
  • Protect existing community housing through renewed agreements with non-profits and co-operative housing providers
  • Develop eviction prevention strategies, expanding rent subsidies and enhancing outreach services
  • Strengthen advocacy with senior governments to secure greater investment in York Region

With Regional investment and stronger support from the federal and provincial governments, York Region will increase and preserve the community housing supply and ensure more residents can find and keep housing.

For more information on housing, visit york.ca/Housing

The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to more than 1.3 million residents and over 58,000 businesses with 624,000 employees. More information about the Region’s key service areas is available at york.ca/RegionalServices

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Media Contact:

Tamara Ostrowski, Corporate Communications, The Regional Municipality of York
Phone: 1-877-464-9675, ext. 71226 Cell: 905-251-6412
@email