• Peel's transition

News Release: November 22, 2019

Region of Peel to boost affordable housing supply in Peel

BRAMPTON, ON. (Nov. 22, 2019) – In Peel, 70% of low-income and 30% of middle-income households are living in housing they cannot afford. In response, the Region of Peel has embarked on a 10-year housing and homelessness plan aimed at making affordable housing available to all residents and preventing chronic homelessness. The long-term plan sets the stage to increase Peel’s affordable housing stock by up to 5,700 over the next 15 years.

“Bringing attention to affordable housing issues is the focus of National Housing Day on November 22,” said Region of Peel Chair Nando Iannicca. “For the Region, it provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the work currently underway to address the critical lack of affordable housing in Peel, a key priority for Regional Council.”

A key part of Peel’s 10-year housing and homelessness plan is a Housing Master Plan, endorsed by Regional Council in July 2019. It maps how the Region will phase-in the development of 5,700 affordable rental and emergency units across Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.

“Peel is one of only a few communities across Canada with a long-term housing investment strategy,” said Iannicca. “The development of 5,700 affordable rental units on Regional surplus lands and Peel Housing Corporation sites by 2034 makes the Region’s Housing Master Plan the most progressive and large-scale housing infrastructure plan developed in Peel. To help us achieve that, we require significant funding and support from our federal and provincial partners.”

The numbers tell the story of what the Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan addresses:

• About 1 in 5 people in Peel live in poverty.
• 13,597 Peel households are on the wait list for a housing subsidy.
• 903 Peel households were placed in affordable housing from the wait list in 2018.
• 70% of low-income and 30% of middle-income households in Peel live in housing they can’t afford.
• 11,568 Peel households received housing subsidies in 2018.

“The Region has been building new affordable housing for many years and currently has 965 units in development,” said Annette Groves, Chair of Peel Region’s Strategic Housing and Homelessness Committee. “The Housing Master Plan will further increase Peel’s affordable housing supply at an unprecedented pace.”

Other strategies within the 10-year Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan include:

• Incentives to build – financial and non-financial incentives (policies, bylaw amendments) to encourage the private and non-profit sectors to build more affordable housing
• Using existing stock to increase housing options – for example, through second suites, home-sharing
• Needs-based service delivery – residents with urgent housing needs are receiving the help they need to get and keep their housing; supports focus on stabilizing people in their housing to prevent eviction.

“The participation of the private and non-profit sectors, other governments, agencies and residents is critical to meeting the community’s affordable housing needs in Peel,” said Aileen Baird, Housing Director, Region of Peel. “Only with everyone’s involvement can we achieve our goal that affordable housing is available to all in Peel.”

2018 facts

The need for more affordable housing in Peel continues to increase amidst rising house prices and rents:

• The Region provided 11,568 households with subsidies to help them keep their housing.
• There were 13,519 visits to Regional emergency shelters.
• 1,310 youth were served in emergency shelters.
• The Region currently has 965 new affordable housing units in development or recently completed in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.
• Critical to sustaining Peel’s affordable housing into the future is state of good repair; much of Peel’s annual housing capital budget goes to maintaining Peel’s large portfolio of 17,595 subsidized and affordable units.

Other actions underway:

• 10 Year Capital Plan – Housing: $510.1M (mostly to state of good repair); homelessness: $17.6M.
• Providing funding to help people avoid eviction and stay in their homes.
• Creating one-stop service access and online self-help technology to help people get and keep housing.

Investments in affordable housing means

• Positive impacts on the health and well-being for the community and individuals
• Improved tax revenues and cost savings for taxpayers and government
• Reduced social assistance and health care costs
• Job creation and private investment.

Learn more

• Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan
• Housing Master Plan
• Housing and homelessness support
• Investments: 2019 Budget Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Current affordable housing sites in Peel (interactive map)
• Affordable and social housing providers (PDF)
• Map of affordable housing projects in progress (PDF) in Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga.

For more information on housing help in Peel, visit www.peelregion.ca/housing/.

For urgent housing needs, call the Region of Peel at 905-453-1300.

Email us about the Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan.

Media Contacts

David Hodkin
Communication Specialist, Corporate Services
Region of Peel
905-791-7800, ext. 4674