Gravenhurst council receives Housing Needs Assessment

Gravenhurst council members formally received the town’s Housing Needs Assessment report today and agreed to continue addressing housing needs in the community.

“Council is extremely grateful to everyone who played a role in the development of this report, and we look forward to tackling the needs that have been identified,” Mayor Heidi Lorenz said. “Thanks to this assessment, we now have a much better understanding of the work to be done.” 

The town began work on the Housing Needs Assessment earlier in the year with assistance from SHS Consulting, which compiled and reviewed relevant technical data. Consultants also met with a variety of community members to gather their viewpoints about local housing needs.

“Thanks to our research we now have four main housing needs identified in the assessment and a series of recommendations that we can work towards implementing,” said Melissa Halford, director of development services for the town. “While we don’t have the resources to tackle all of these needs on our own, the assessment does include suggestions about how we can best direct our efforts.”

The four needs identified in the report are as follows: 

More rental housing and supports: There is a need for more rental options and supports, including a variety of dwelling types and affordable options.

More ownership housing and supports: More housing options and supports are needed to support ownership, including for first-time buyers and existing owners.

Support for small and single-earner households: There is a need for a wider mix of units, including smaller units, to provide a wider variety of options, including affordable options, for small and single-earner households.

Support for households in need: Future solutions must consider the unique needs of populations facing additional burdens, including those experiencing homelessness, households with a primary maintainer who is a senior, racialized, Indigenous or a woman, and households with activity limitations.

As a result of the identified needs, the assessment recommends the town focus on the following:

Addressing barriers to development: As a key approval body and facilitator of local development, a central role the town can take on is ensuring that barriers to development, particularly target forms (specific types) of development, are minimized.

Determining and promoting target forms (specific types) of development: Using the findings of this report as a starting point, a key role for the town can be to identify and promote target forms of development, such as affordable housing, purpose-built rental housing, additional dwelling units, a mix of unit sizes, and housing options for seniors.

Ensuring future policies, programs, and initiatives reflect community need: A key role for the town will be to ensure that future work, including the development of policies, programs, and initiatives reflect the housing need within the community.

Continued engagement and education: A key goal identified in the town’s strategic plan is to drive two-way communication and engagement with all community members. Ongoing engagement and education will help ensure up-to-date understanding on emerging housing needs and solutions, while building community support for housing programs and developments.

Advocating for increased funding and supports for local housing initiatives: Using the findings of this report, the town can continue to put forward targeted, evidence-informed advocacy that reflects the local housing need.

Next steps

The Housing Needs Assessment will be used as the basis for the development of housing-related actions for the town in the coming years.

Watch the town’s website and social media channels for related updates. 

Additional resources

Review the Housing Needs Assessment.

Read the related staff report.

Watch the presentation and discussion.

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