Ontario Construction News staff writer
The County of Simcoe has released the Housing Our Future: 2023 Annual Report, detailing progress on a 10-year affordable housing and homelessness prevention strategy.
A minimum goal of 2,685 new affordable housing units set for 2014 to 2024 was exceeded one year ahead of schedule with 3,250 new affordable homes built across the region since 2014.
Also, large builds continue in Orillia (open in 2024), Bradford West Gwillimbury (now accepting applications), and in Barrie (expected to open in 2026/2027).
“We continue to impact the lives of residents with each new unit and investment in affordable housing. As we officially close out our previous 10-year plan, our council and staff are committed to having an even stronger and bolder 10-year affordable housing strategy to present in the coming months,” said Warden Basil Clarke.
According to the report, Simcoe County created 475 new affordable housing spaces in 2023, contributing to the overall total of 3,250 new housing spaces created since the inception of the strategy in 2014, which exceeded the original target of 2,685 new affordable units by 2024
Affordable housing spaces created since 2014 include:
- An additional 1,478 new government-funded Rent Supplements and housing allowances delivered
- 141 new affordable homeownerships through the County’s Affordable Homeownership Program and by community partners including Habitat for Humanity and OAHS
- 243 government-funded secondary suites through programs like the County of Simcoe’s Secondary Suites Program, which provides forgivable loans to eligible individuals creating affordable secondary suites in their home
- 804 unfunded secondary suites (unfunded second suites not deemed affordable as of 2022 based on market survey. Previously, a discount rate was applied to reflect affordability levels, e.g. 25% of units created deemed affordable based on data at the time)
- Built 485 new units in affordable rental developments
- Created 99 new units in supportive housing developments
The county also provided $650,000 under the Municipal Secondary Suites program, creating an additional 25 affordable secondary suites toward the total of 243 new units since the onset of the strategy and distributed $250,000 to address urgent home repairs through the Ontario Renovates Program.
Work continued on large affordable housing construction projects, including 130 units in Orillia (which welcomed its first residents earlier this year), 50 units in Bradford West-Gwillimbury (now accepting applications), and solidified plans to build 215 units at what will be the County’s largest affordable housing investment to date at the County’s Rose Street location in Barrie
Also 14 units of supportive housing were opened at 77 Tiffin Street in Barrie for people experiencing mental health and addiction challenges, persons with disabilities, as well as those experiencing homelessness, with $2.5 million from the Government of Ontario’s Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF)
As of December 31, 2023, the total number of applicants on the waitlist for affordable housing was 4,696 a decrease of 3.7 per cent from 2022
Funding for the affordable housing strategy comes from a variety of sources, including the County of Simcoe, the cities of Barrie and Orillia, and governments of Canada and Ontario.