Ontario is at a critical point. Housing need is rising, homelessness is growing, federal investment is starting to move but new home construction is slowing in Ontario. The Province’s goal to create conditions for faster homebuilding, through predictable approvals and transit-oriented projects makes sense but decisions made now will set the course for years.
The legislative changes to the Residential Tenancies Act in Schedule 12 of Bill 60, move policy in the wrong direction and will serve to escalate the homelessness crisis across Ontario. They weaken security of tenure, speed eviction and narrow review windows. This is not a solution for people who are precariously housed and will level even greater pressure on municipalities and community agencies struggling to address need.
The focus should be on keeping people housed while new supply comes online. That means maintaining reasonable grace periods for arrears, ensuring tenants can raise legitimate health and safety concerns without undue barriers, preserving fair compensation and clear standards in no-fault evictions with consequences for bad-faith cases and keeping review and appeal timelines workable so disputes are resolved on their merits. These measures protect due process, prevent avoidable evictions, and steady the system as we build.
We join colleagues from across the community services sector in calling on the Province to repeal Schedule 12 of Bill 60 and commit to meaningful consultation with tenants, sector partners and municipalities on proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and provincial housing policies that impact tenants.
United Ways across Ontario partner with regional and municipal governments and are ready to work with the Province to keep people housed while Ontario builds the homes our communities need.
Meeting Canada’s affordable housing goals is not the private market’s mandate — nor has it ever been.
That’s why Ontario United Ways have come together with a joint submission to the Build Canada Homes Design.
A healthy housing system provides access to affordable housing options that meet people’s needs at different stages of life. Yet, rising costs and the declining availability of housing stock and housing choices, coupled with stagnating incomes, have left too many people without safe, stable, accessible and affordable homes. High rates of core housing need are not being met with relief. Instead, deeply affordable and supportive housing options are shrinking, driving up waitlists, pushing more people into homelessness, contributing to socio-economic challenges and heightening inequalities.
A critical pitfall of our current housing system is the lack of sustained focus and investment in stimulating the community housing sector in favour of encouraging a private market-dominated landscape. Approximately 95% of Canada’s housing stock is privately owned. At only 3.5%, the proportion of community housing falls far behind that of our OECD peers. While community housing providers have successfully brought projects to completion despite being constrained by insufficient and inconsistent funding, they have not yet been able to bring the full force of their expertise to bear or operate at the scale possible — and needed.
A fundamental shift in how housing is planned, funded and delivered is required — and, if done correctly, Build Canada Homes could be the catalyst we need in realizing the full potential of Canada’s community housing sector across the country.
The United Way of Bruce Grey and Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force adds their support to the United Way Greater Toronto and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, which released a costed, delivery-ready plan to address affordable housing needs. Ontario, Canada – Aug 13, 2025 — Ontario’s housing crisis is at a breaking point, but a new report, Built for Good: Delivering the Housing Ontario Needs, shows there is a clear, achievable path forward — if all levels of government, the non-profit sector, and private partners act now.
Developed by United Way Greater Toronto and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, with support from SHS, the report outlines an ambitious 10-year plan to ensure everyone in Ontario has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
The need is urgent across the province:
Over 805,000 deeply affordable housing units are required for low-income households by 2035, including 93,000 supportive housing units and 55,000 units for Indigenous households.
An additional 145,000 moderately affordable units are needed for moderate-income households.
225,000 existing affordable homes must be acquired, repaired, and maintained to prevent further loss.
The plan is practical and cost-effective. It calls for:
$16.7 billion in investment by 2027.
$62.6 billion by 2030, combining upfront capital and ongoing subsidies.
Clear leadership, government coordination, and predictable funding to empower non-profit and co-op housing providers.
Why it matters:
The report stresses that housing is a public good and a shared responsibility. Without action, the crisis will worsen, costing billions in emergency shelters, healthcare, and lost productivity. By contrast, proactive investment will improve health, education, and economic outcomes for hundreds of thousands of Ontarians.
“The solutions are here, the expertise is here, and the time for action is now,” said Heather MacDonald, President & CEO of United Way Greater Toronto. “By scaling up non-profit and co-op housing, we can deliver lasting affordability and stability for generations.”
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Tim Ross, CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (Ontario Region). “With bold leadership and targeted investment, we can build the housing Ontario actually needs.”
Locally over 3,000 households have applications into either Bruce and/or Grey County for deeply affordable community housing.
Applicants to the United Way Bruce Grey’s Utility Assistance Program have an average income of $22,500 demonstrating that households need deeply affordable housing due to low income.
“In 2024, homelessness affected 375 individuals in Grey County and 109 households in Bruce County, with a significant proportion experiencing chronic homelessness. Among them are children, youth, Indigenous community members, and seniors — a stark reminder that homelessness impacts people of all ages and backgrounds across our region.”
– Jill Umbach, Coordinator, Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force
“We cannot keep doing the same things and expect different results. In Bruce Grey, as across Ontario, the housing crisis is deepening despite decades of effort. This is the moment to change course — to invest in bold, proven solutions like non-profit and co-operative housing that deliver long-term affordability. If we continue with business as usual, we will continue to fail the people who need us most.” — Francesca Dobbyn, Executive Director, United Way of Bruce Grey
For more information, or to set up an interview with:
We are starting 2025 with an impactful series of meetings on Community Hubs in Grey Bruce.
Colleen Seaman Trask’s presentation this Friday on OSHaRE will provide valuable insights into how community hubs can evolve and expand their services to meet a variety of needs. Grey Bruce Food Share, Supportive Outreach Services, Family Assist Market and other health clinics at OSHaRE are great examples of how a community hub can become a multi-faceted resource.
Our discussion will be on:
The Evolution of Community Meal Programs: Highlighting how OSHaRE’s meal program started and transformed into a more comprehensive service that addresses food insecurity, health care access, and community connections.
Partnerships and Collaboration: The role of partnerships with local organizations, food rescue, and volunteers in making these services sustainable and impactful. And how the OSHaRE model can be adapted or implemented in other areas of Grey Bruce.
Sustainability Challenges: How OSHaRE has navigated the challenges of funding and resources. And what long-term sustainability challenges exist in meeting the diverse needs of the community.
Please join us for some insightful conversation!
FOOD SECURITY
2024 was a rough year for many households. We have seen a significant increase in the number of people accessing shelters, food banks, community meals and seeking financial assistance. Bruce Power distributed $300,000 to food banks this past year to support the need. It is important to upload your data to Food Bruce Grey to ensure that you are on the Bruce Power distribution list.
OSHaRE: distributed 25,000 meals in the month of November and 23,000 in December 2024. These monthly numbers still remain higher per month than pre-pandemic annual numbers. A total of 197,128 meals in 2024.
Meaford Food Bank: added 96 new households in 2024. 211 households were served food hampers in December 2024 and 256 children benefited from their Christmas Star shopping program.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church: on average provide food hampers to 55 people weekly. They saw a slight decline in December to 27 people/week.
Grey Bruce Good Food Box: volunteers packed 17,878 boxes and 2,700 tokens were distributed across the region (note: not all December data is included) at 23 locations.
AMO Municipalities Under Pressure Report: Ontario has seen a staggering increase in homelessness in recent years. For the first time, this report collected and analyzed data from all 47 consolidated municipal services managers in the province to fully illustrate the scope of the crisis. Report data demonstrates a systemic failure that extends beyond housing, reflecting deep gaps in healthcare, mental-health services, justice systems and more. Reports on Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis, Water and Wastewater Utility Feasibility | AMO
In 2024, 81,515 people experienced homelessness and 41,512 people experienced chronic homelessness in Ontario.
17,000 permanent shelter beds exist in Ontario.
Without significant intervention, homelessness could more than triple by 2035, leaving up to 294,266 people without stable housing.
In Grey County:
Grey County is experiencing similar trends to other rural communities across the province. Locally, a point in time count in 2024 revealed 375 individuals experiencing homelessness in Grey County. Of these individuals, 65 identify as Indigenous, 80 are children 15 and under, and 45 are youth ages 16-24. Adults account for 252 of the individuals and seniors (65+) 8. 253 of individuals are experiencing chronic homelessness.
Grey County also provides subsidized housing and maintains a housing waitlist. The waitlist has grown from 1,517 in 2022 to 2,230 in 2024.
In 2024, funding for housing and homelessness in Ontario was estimated at $4.1 billion. Of the three levels of government, 51.5% of was funded by municipalities. Grey County has invested $6.55 million since 2022 in homelessness support with projects including the purchase and renovation of a property in Owen Sound for supportive housing and the purchase of a former motel for short-term emergency shelter.
In 2023 Grey County partnered with CMHA to offer transitional, supportive housing to residents of Grey County who have experienced chronic homelessness. The first participants of the program moved in December 2023 and since that time seven have graduated to permanent, stable housing with ongoing connection to CMHA supports. This program offers opportunities to build skills and work on personal goals with the objective of being successful in maintaining permanent housing and ending the cycle of homelessness.
Grey County took a major step in providing expanded short-term housing options with our acquisition of a 22-room motel in Owen Sound in February of 2024. This acquisition has allowed for reduced operating costs, improved access to staff and supports on site and a higher level of dignity for community members experiencing homelessness. This expansion of program services will allow for an increase of 5,600 nights of accommodations bringing the total capacity to 13,000 nights of short-term accommodations with the same level of operating funding.
In addition to the 2 facilities, Grey County provides funding to Safe N Sound Grey Bruce to operate an overnight warming space for up to 18 individuals nightly. This provides a supportive environment with staff on site providing referrals to services, someone to talk to and refreshments. These spaces throughout the course of the winter support more than 3,000 nights of warmth to members of our community.
Over the course of 2024, Grey County staff and community partners supported 176 households in exiting homelessness into stable accommodations, of those households 123 maintain those accommodations at the present time.
The report notes the disparities of those facing homelessness in rural communities compared to cities including shelter capacity and affordable housing shortages, specialized supports, urban inflow pressures and transportation barriers. Without significant investment and coordination across all three levels of government, it will not be possible to scale up the infrastructure needed to create a system where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. https://www.grey.ca/news/providing-grey-county-perspective-amo-municipalities-under-pressure-report
The National Indigenous Women’s Housing Network and Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network: launched “Mobilizing on the Right to Housing for Women and Gender-Diverse People in Canada: A Community Organizer’s Guide!” The Guide mobilizes communities to contribute to Canada’s first-ever human rights-based review panel on homelessness for women and gender-diverse people. Download the resourceAbout Us — Gender Housing Justice
Tax Breaks: starting December 14th, 2024, the government has paused the GST & HST on groceries, kids’ clothes/toys, and other essentials. Those eligible for the rebate must be 18 years or older at the end of 2023; be a resident in Ontario on December 31, 2023; have filed their 2023 Income Tax and Benefit Return by December 31, 2024; and not be bankrupt or incarcerated in 2024.
Basic Income Guaranteed Forum Report: was released after a national conference. The approach favoured in Canada is that of a basic income guarantee that takes other income into account and provides most help to those who need it most. Basic income is a strategic investment to improve wellbeing. It can tackle the polycrisis we are facing far more effectively than our current patchwork of programs. BIG Success in the Making Doc – Eng + Fr
Owen Sound Transit (OST): is making changes to its transit system effective January 2025, including updates to fare structures and a pilot project involving a route change. These amendments aim to improve transit options while maintaining affordability for residents. Changes to Owen Sound Transit Fares and Routes for 2025 | City of Owen Sound
PUBLIC WEBINAR | From Policy to Practice: Advancing the National Poverty Reduction Strategy | January 22 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET | This webinar will explore what the Council heard from people across Canada in 2024, the federal government’s role in reducing poverty, as well as highlighting how communities – local organizations, collaboratives, associations and individual community members – can action this report. WEBINAR | From Policy to Practice: Advancing the National Poverty Reduction Strategy
