504A: Taking Action on Affordable Housing

September 22, 2022

8:30AM - 9:00AM

The Region of Waterloo is one of Canada’s fastest growing CMAs and, like other communities, is facing an affordable housing crisis. This crisis is affecting everyone, recognizing that the greatest impacts are on low-moderate household incomes, the most vulnerable, and under-represented groups.

The Region of Waterloo and its leadership team took action to address the housing crisis in 2021 with the approval of the Building Better Futures (BFF) framework as part of its Affordable Housing Principle (Master) Plan Strategy. This framework clearly outlines an action to add 2,500 new affordable housing units in five years, with regional funding to support the work, regional interest in leveraging its land bank, and regional direction to build a team to implement the plan.
Within one year, the Region (in partnership with local area municipal governments and community stakeholders), has secured 680 units in development and plans to add approximately 500 units per year over a five-year span.

The new cross-divisional implementation team at the Region brings together both Housing Services and Economic Development divisions to drive new affordable housing opportunities and add 2,500 units through five development pillars: Waterloo Region housing expansions, innovation projects, surplus lands, partnerships, and policy initiatives.

For the 2022 OPPI-OALA Conference, the Region is proud to share lessons learned (12 months in!) on the BFF initiative as a 30-minute interactive panel session. The primary areas of focus include: 

• Action Oriented Implementation Strategy: A summary of the BBF framework and its primary objectives with tools to promote communities in need.
• Financial tools to support affordable housing: Unique funding programs with BIPOC community goals (PRA) and emerging financial incentives to support affordable housing opportunities.
• Innovation in the Region: A review of several rapid housing (RHI) projects, including the first Indigenous housing project (28 units), a YW women’s housing project (41 units), Ontario’s second containers housing project (Now Housing), and WRH Lang’s Youth Programing work.
• Surplus Lands: An expanding surplus land strategy, including pilot programs to secure long-term affordable units, land leasing, and housing needs assessment. The Region has five active surplus land properties with experience to share including a pilot for a long-term land lease. 

Speakers