National Housing Day
The Region of Peel is marking National Housing Day on November 22 by highlighting some of the steps being taken to tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Fixing the issues that have led to this crisis state is a huge challenge. Peel Region oversees the affordable housing sector in Peel. We manage our own housing stock and work with Peel Living, 46 other housing providers, and private landlords.
As the primary funder of Peel's affordable housing system, we recognize the pressures and needs of the system and acknowledge that additional funding from other levels of government will be vital to meeting the challenge.
Buying or renting a home at market rates is unaffordable for 80% of Peel residents. Less than 1 in every 2,600 new homes built in Peel is affordable to most of our residents.
We're taking steps to get shovels in the ground and build more affordable housing units. We're building on land owned by the Region of Peel and Peel Housing Corporation to save on the high costs of buying land. And we’re investing those savings in more new units.
We’re also taking steps to encourage developers to build new affordable rental units in Peel. Providing financial incentives and using tools such as the Affordable Housing Incentives Pilot Program are among the ways we're doing this.
But it’s not just about building new units. We’re also transforming how we deliver services. By shifting towards a needs-based approach we can customize how we help each client.
For example, we're using new technology and working more closely with housing providers.
We’re maintaining and improving our existing affordable housing stock and bringing them up to date with current regulations. We are also funding the renovation of second units within private homes and working with affordable housing providers to keep their properties as part of the affordable housing system.
All this work is driving towards the same goal helping people to get and keep safe, affordable housing.
National Housing Day is an opportunity for us to outline the hard work being done, while recognizing there’s still a long way to go.
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, we must not forget the more vulnerable members of our community. That’s why we’re creating a new plan for supportive housing in Peel and advocating to the Ontario government for much needed funding. We’re removing red tape to make it easier for vulnerable residents to get the help they need to live independently.
We are doing this work in partnership with a number of community housing providers and service providers. Together, we can make a real difference. This National Housing Day, we thank them all for their dedication.
