Archive » General News » Headline News » News

County examines “missing middle” housing struggle

September 1, 2022   ·   0 Comments

With the rising cost of living, the County of Simcoe is launching a new project aimed at addressing the housing needs of middle-income residents who are struggling to find, or maintain housing affordability.

This group is often referred to as the “missing middle.”

County Council has authorized staff to move forward with a strategy to address attainable housing across the County with the intention of developing a suite of tools that municipalities can use to help address housing attainability in their communities.

“While our communities remain more affordable than many of our neighbouring jurisdictions, County Council is concerned with the rising cost of living for many of our residents,” said County Warden George Cornell. “It is our hope that this project will identify creative solutions to help ease the burden for our residents and offer effective solutions to help our municipalities prioritize the right attainable housing product for our communities.”

County staff have been working with various local municipalities to explore partnership opportunities. The vision for the project is to develop a strategy examining factors that are driving home prices, the range of attainable homes across the region, land use planning supports, and identify what can be done by municipalities to ease the burden on residents.

The project is expected to begin in September 22022 and will involve a cross-section of partners in the housing system.

The County plans to expand the work it offers across the housing spectrum, from transitioning housing and shelter support, to social and affordable housing, as well as financial assistance with affordable secondary/garden suites and age-friendly renovations to seniors living and long term care.

By Brian Lockhart

Readers Comments (0)