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September 21 and 22
2 days, 2 disciplines, 2 ways to participate – defining our professional roles and uniting to build more equitable, accessible and inspired communities.
#2GETHER2022
The Region of Peel, like many municipalities, is facing a housing crisis. More than 30% of Peel households face challenges with housing affordability, and rental housing vacancy rates demonstrate a need for more rental supply. Following council endorsement of the Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan, 2018-2028 (PHHP), the Region began developing an incentives pilot program for rental housing that is affordable to middle-income households, in support of one of the PHHP’s five strategies. When the pandemic started and regional planning staff were required to transition to working from home, work on the incentives pilot program continued virtually. This work included collaboration with consultants and local municipal staff, reporting to Region of Peel Council, outreach and engagement, and application submission and review — all online. It required a new way of working that presented new challenges and opportunites for the team. In this session, Region of Peel staff describe the process of working collaboratively to launch a new housing program fully online and share some of the outcomes of the program and how it supported the Region’s housing objectives. The session includes lessons learned for working virtually across teams and also provides insights for municipalities considering housing incentives programs, as regional staff reflect on the pilot program in its first year.