Niagara's Housing and Homelessness Action Plan | Community Update

Collaboration and working groups

Affordable housing and homelessness in Niagara have reached a crisis point. Niagara Region cannot address this crisis on its own, and must partner with:

• Housing and homelessness service providers across health, corrections and child welfare systems
• Municipal, provincial and federal governments
• Private developers
• Indigenous organizations and communities

The Housing and Homelessness Action Plan working groups support collaboration in ten focus areas. Within those areas, they provide opportunities for participants to coordinate their efforts, and give regular feedback to the Region about service and system planning.

2022 Working groups

• Assertive Street Outreach

  A service that engages with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to reduce the harmful effects of rough sleeping while working toward long-term housing solutions.

  Chair: Shelly Mousseau, Gateway Residential and Support Services

• Coordinated Access and By-Name List

  A way to objectively match people with appropriate services no matter how they enter the homeless serving system.

  Facilitated by Homelessness Services staff

• Exits from Justice to Homelessness

  Collaboration with the justice system to reduce the number of people discharged from justice into homelessness.

  Facilitated by Homelessness Services staff

• Homelessness Prevention

  Supports individuals and families in imminent risk of experiencing homelessness to maintain their housing or obtain new housing without becoming homeless.

  Co-Chairs: Michael Lethby, The RAFT and Jon Braithwaite, The Hope Centre

• Housing Affordability Innovation

  Supports increased use of innovation to address the challenge of housing affordability in Niagara.

  Chair: Lori Beech, Bethlehem Housing and Support Services

• Housing First and Home for Good

  A recovery-oriented approach to ending homelessness that focuses on moving individuals with complex needs into independent and permanent housing. This includes case management to support housing retention and improved well being.

  Co-Chairs: Shelly Mousseau, Gateway Residential and Support Services

• Housing-Focused Shelter

  A low-barrier emergency accommodation for people experiencing a housing crisis that supports them to return as soon as possible to safe, appropriate housing.

  Chair: Steve Brnjas, Salvation Army Booth Centre

• Housing Provider Advisory

  Advises on policies, procedures and services related to non-profit and co-operative housing providers.

  Chair: Betty Ann Baker, Niagara Peninsula Homes and Kelly Kendrick, Ganawageh and Ohsto: Seri Urban Homes

• Lived Expert Advisory

  Advises on policies, procedures and services from the perspective of homeless services users, and raises awareness, educates and addresses stigma.

  Chair: Ilona Matheson, Community Member

• Supported Transitional Housing

  Temporary accommodation and support to move people from homelessness to independent living or permanent housing.

  Chair: Elisabeth Zimmermann, YWCA Niagara Region

Niagara's rental market

A challenging market for lower income renters

In 2022, Niagara's lower income renters continued to experience a more challenging market.

New rental units were built at rates not seen since the nineties and vacancy rates for rental units increased from 1.9 per cent in 2021 to 2.8 per cent. Despite this, average rents rose by 5.9 per cent - the strongest rate of growth in over 30 years.

There were fewer affordable rental options and rents for vacant units were on average 17.8 per cent higher than rents for occupied units. The difference in rents between vacant and occupied units was greatest for one-bed units (26 per cent) and three-bed units (33 per cent).

From January 2022 to January 2023 the average rent for a vacant two-bedroom unit in St. Catharines increased 21.8 per cent to $2,031 per month.

A more challenging rental market increases demand for community housing options.

Housing and Homelessness Services by numbers (2022)

New development updates

Progress towards achieving action items

By the end of December 2022, 75 per cent progress had been made toward finishing all 75 actions in the updated Housing and Homelessness Action Plan.

The rest of 2023 remains to complete all activities. Areas of focus for 2023 include ensuring adequate financial resources are available for new affordable housing development, and supporting the delivery of Indigenous-led housing and homelessness services for Indigenous people.

75 Actions

• 50 Complete
• 13 In progress
• 12 To be completed

Highlighted accomplishments