TORONTO, July 7, 2026 – York Regional Council has approved its 2026–2035 housing and homelessness plan. Regional data shows that, as of the end of 2025, more than 22,000 households in York Region were waiting for subsidized housing, with the average wait time for community housing reaching 10 years. The new plan will guide the region’s housing services, community housing supply and homelessness response over the next decade.
York Region says housing affordability remains one of the major challenges facing the region, as demand continues to rise for affordable rental housing, subsidized housing and emergency housing services. According to regional information, the number of households waiting for subsidized housing at the end of 2025 was 49 per cent higher than in 2022. In 2025, about 2,400 people in the region experienced homelessness, including more than 1,100 who were chronically homeless. Emergency and transitional housing services were also often near or at capacity, and the average length of stay has more than doubled since 2019.
The new plan sets out three main directions: increasing and preserving rental housing supply, including new construction and repair of non-market housing, community housing, supportive housing, emergency housing and transitional housing; helping residents find and maintain stable housing through homelessness prevention, outreach services and housing supports; and strengthening collaboration with local municipalities, housing service providers, community organizations, and the provincial and federal governments.
York Region’s 2026 budget has allocated $95 million to housing and homelessness-related programs, covering prevention services, outreach support, rent subsidies and capital repairs for community housing. The region also says its 2026 10-year capital plan will support the delivery of more than 580 new affordable and subsidized housing units, as well as 244 new or redeveloped emergency and transitional housing spaces.
For renters, newcomer families, low-income residents and seniors in Markham, Richmond Hill, Vaughan and other York Region municipalities, the plan does not mean the waitlist will shorten immediately. Subsidized housing is still managed through York Region’s centralized waiting list. Applicants must provide information based on household income, assets, living situation and housing needs. Current regional programs include community housing units, rent supplement units involving private landlords, and portable housing benefits that can be used in market rental housing.
Housing pressure does not only affect residents who are already in the subsidized housing system. Rising market rents, unstable household income, shared rental and basement housing arrangements, language barriers and unfamiliarity with the public housing application process may cause some residents to seek help only after rent arrears, relocation or family changes have already become urgent. For newcomers who are unfamiliar with Ontario’s system, the division of responsibility between the region, local municipalities, community agencies and landlords can also be confusing.
York Region says implementing the new plan will still require more resources from the provincial and federal governments and community partners. The region’s Housing and Homelessness Committee has supported considering an extension of the Rapid Transit/Infrastructure Levy to help increase the region’s non-market housing target from about 1,000 units to 2,000 units, if support from higher levels of government is secured.
Residents who are at risk of losing their housing, or who are experiencing homelessness, can contact York Region’s Emergency Housing Central Intake Line. Those who need to apply for subsidized housing or learn about affordable housing programs should also check York Region’s housing services page for eligibility, application methods and required documents, rather than waiting until they receive an eviction notice or rent arrears become worse.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
