A Town for Everyone: Housing Strategy

Housing is one of the most important aspects of a healthy, strong, and connected community. It provides stability, supports well-being, and helps people remain in the Town through different stages of life. When there are enough homes that are affordable, diverse, and suited to a range of needs, the Town can grow in a way that supports everyone.

When housing becomes difficult to find or too expensive, the impacts extend beyond individual households. It can affect local businesses’ ability to attract and retain workers, place pressure on community services, and weaken overall community resilience.

A Town for Everyone: Housing Strategy is the Town’s plan to address these challenges. Informed by the 2025 Housing Needs Assessment, a review of the Town’s current policies, and community engagement, the Housing Strategy will set out clear policy directions, targets, and tools to support a more diverse, inclusive, and affordable future housing system.

 Next steps - Phases of Engagement

To ensure that the Housing Strategy is effective, the Town must learn from the people and organizations most affected by housing challenges. This includes residents, service providers, developers, builders, and local community groups. It is particularly important to engage with populations who have not always had a voice in Planning, including equity-deserving populations

The Voices for Housing: Engagement and Communication Strategy outlines how the Town will connect with the community. It explains what engagement activities will take place, when they happen, who will be involved, and how input will be considered. By keeping the process open, inclusive, and transparent, the Town can make more informed decisions and ensure the Housing Strategy responds to the real needs of the community.
 Housing Needs Assessment

What Is the Housing Needs Assessment?

The Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) helps the Town understand what kinds of homes people need now and in the future. It looks at facts and data to show what’s working, what’s missing, and where improvements are needed.

Key Local Statistics

Income and Affordability

  • The average household income in the Town is $114,900 and the average individual income in the Town is $53,500.
  • An affordable home at this income level would be about $410,000.
  • The average home price is more than double that, putting home ownership out of reach for many residents.

Home Prices Outpacing Wages

  • The average re-sale home price in 2025 was around $850,000.
  • Single detached homes make up most of the Town’s housing and are the least affordable.
  • Fewer than 1 in 10 households earn enough to purchase a home at the average market price.

Core Housing Need

  • About 1 in 9 households (11.6%) live in homes that are unaffordable, overcrowded, or need major repairs.
  • Rates are highest among single mothers, seniors, and youth-led households.
  • Renters are nearly five times more likely than homeowners to experience core housing need.

Population Growth

  • Town’s population grew by 28% between 2016 and 2021, which is much faster than the Provincial average of 5.8% over the same time period.
  • By 2051, the population is expected to reach 80,590, which is an 83% increase from 2021.
  • This growth will require an increase in housing supply, housing types, and supporting infrastructure.

 

View the Full Housing Needs Assessment Report

 Illustrated graphic titled “Housing Continuum” showing a progression of housing options from left to right. It begins with Homelessness (red), then Emergency Shelter (green), Transitional Housing (orange), Supportive Housing (gray), Community Housing (blue), Affordable Housing (dark blue), and Market Housing (purple). Below the continuum, text indicates that Simcoe County is responsible for social housing services, while the focus of “A Town for Everyone” is on Affordable and Market Housing. The image includes stylized buildings and trees representing different housing types.

 

 

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