Since 2014, The Regional Municipality of York has addressed the growing and diverse housing needs of residents and workers in – Housing Solutions: A place for everyone

The Region’s 10-year Housing Plan focuses on four goals:

• Increase the supply of rental housing
• Sustain the existing rental supply
• Support home ownership
• Strengthen the homelessness and housing stability system

With most actions complete or underway, the Region is initiating a five-year review of the Housing Plan. An updated Housing Plan will be brought to Regional Council in 2019 for endorsement.

10-year Housing Plan accomplishments and achievements

York Region’s 2017 Progress Report highlights continued progress toward building complete communities with a range of affordable housing options and strengthening the Region’s homelessness and housing stability system.

Accomplishments in 2017 include:

• Started construction on Woodbridge Lane, a 162 unit-mixed income building owned by Housing York Inc., replacing two social housing buildings with 46 units that were nearing the end of their useful life
• Approved a Region-wide policy enabling 36 month development charge deferrals for medium and high density purpose-built rental buildings
• Worked with local municipal partners to examine options for encouraging purpose-built rental housing for households with mid-range incomes
• Approved implementation of Home Now, a program that will help support residents experiencing chronic homelessness find and keep long-term housing

Previous 10-year Housing Plan Progress Reports

• 2016 Progress Report
• 2015 Progress Report
• 2014 Progress Report

Affordable housing measuring and monitoring

One of the key actions included in the 10-year Housing Plan is to work with local municipalities and the development industry to establish implementation guidelines for the Regional Official Plan. These guidelines require 25 per cent of new housing units across York Region to be affordable and 35 per cent of new housing units in Regional centres and key development areas to be targeted as affordable.

The York Region Affordable Housing Measuring and Monitoring Guidelines outline a standardized approach for measuring the supply of new affordable units each year. Regional Council approved updates to the guidelines in June 2018. The 2014 affordable housing monitoring exercise is available for reference. Beginning in 2015, the affordable housing monitoring exercises have been included in the annual Housing Plan Progress Reports.