General News

Simcoe County releases report on 10-year housing plan

July 13, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The County of Simcoe has released its ninth annual report card on its affordable housing and homelessness prevention strategy.

The report measures and evaluates the implementation of recommendations contained in the Our Community 10-year Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention Strategy plan.

The strategy set a minimum goal of 2,685 new affordable housing units between 2014 and 2024. The County not only met but exceeded that goal one year ahead of schedule.

As of December 31, 2022, 2,775 new affordable homes had been created across the region since 2014.

“When we decided on and began our affordable housing and homelessness prevention strategy nine years ago, County Council knew that the homes we were creating would change lives and futures,” said County Warden Basil Clarke. “Since the implementation of the strategy, we have kept those lives and futures in mind as we invested heavily in housing for our communities. I am confident that we have momentum and I’m excited for what we will create in the future.”

The report lists several examples of success.

These include the distribution of $1.29 million in rent supplement and housing allowance subsidies, $91,000 in affordable home ownership down-payment supports, and direct funding of $650,000 under the Municipal Secondary Suites program.

The report also shows a distribution of $300,000 of federal and provincial Second Suites funding and an additional $200,000 to address urgent home repairs through the Ontario Renovates program, as well as $376,724 in Housing Retention Program for eviction prevention.

Progress has continued on affordable housing construction projects, including 130 units in Orillia and 50 units in Bradford West-Gwillimbury.

Funding for the affordable housing strategy comes from a variety of sources, including the County of Simcoe, the cities of Barrie and Orillia, and the governments of Canada and Ontario.

The County’s strategy will continue to focus on supporting residents through maximizing funding, achieving targets, and working with area partners to create affordable housing units for residents across the County.

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