Housing Solutions: A place for everyone
York Region’s 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan
Since 2014, York Region’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan has provided a roadmap to help ensure residents have access to a range of housing options and services at all ages and stages of their lives.
Phase 2 Plan: 2019 to 2023
In October 2019, York Regional Council approved phase two of the Region’s 10-year plan. To build on accomplishments from phase one and respond to current needs and challenges, the updated plan includes new goals for 2019 to 2023 to:
- Increase the supply of affordable and rental housing
- Help people find and keep housing
- Strengthen the housing and homelessness system
York Region will work closely with its partners to make progress on the goals and objectives over the five years of the plan.
Progress in 2023
As in many jurisdictions across Canada, housing affordability remains a key issue in York Region and demand for housing and homelessness services provided by the Region and its partners continues to increase.
York Region continued to make significant progress toward the goals and objectives set out in Housing Solutions Phase 2 in 2023, while also rapidly responding to changing federal and provincial direction and supporting residents to find and keep housing. Key actions included:
- Completed the Affordable Private Market Housing Implementation Plan (AHIP) background work including a Case Study Analysis and stakeholder interviews to inform the preparation of the Preliminary Directions and Options which was received by the Housing Affordability Task Force in January 2024.
- Opened Unionville Commons in 2023, Housing York Inc.’s (HYI) newest development, providing 265 market and subsidized rental homes for seniors in the City of Markham. Over the past five years, the Region has built or supported the creation of almost 460 new community housing units.
- Received a direct allocation from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) of $18.8 million through the Rapid Housing Initiative Cities Stream for the Town of Whitchurch- Stouffville’s HYI development, Mosaic House and Inn From the Cold’s new emergency and transitional housing development located in the Town of Newmarket.
- Housed 976 households from the subsidized housing wait list in 2023, including 527 households accepting the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit. The Region has cumulatively housed 2,765 households from the wait list since 2019.
- Diverted 671 total people over five years from emergency housing to safe housing with friends and family.
- Transitioned 1,2941 total people successfully from emergency housing to stable housing over five years.
- Opened two new transitional housing sites in the Towns of Georgina and East Gwillimbury, adding 28 new units to the emergency and transitional housing system.
- Partnered with Inn From the Cold to provide annual funding for Inn From the Cold’s emergency housing and homelessness services and supports to year-round operations. This added 25 emergency housing beds in York Region’s emergency housing system.
Lessons learned since 2019 are informing implementation plans to address needs across the housing continuum in 2024, and the next 10-Year Housing and Homelessness plan, targeted for 2025
Phase 2: 2019 to 2023
Phase 1: 2014 to 2018
Housing Solutions: A Place for Everyone – Phase 1 covered the five years between 2014 and 2018 and set out 47 actions to address housing supply and the housing and homelessness system in York Region.
