To avoid the housing affordability crisis Ontario offered to their local stakeholders means Municipalities.  Although there is a housing shortage and price increases above inflation of the whole housing spectrum.  An assessment report has been submitted and reviewed of Kingston’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan as well as assuming that housing cost is suitable if it is less than 30% of household income. The factual position is that a shortage of nearly 3,900 units with rent suitable for households in the lowest income quintile and for all households about 14%22 or 7,000 households are in core housing need. It should be noted that these numbers are based on the 2016 census. The acceleration of house prices and rent increases is likely to be substantially worse. Most importantly noted that these households in core housing need are generally not homeless people.

Kingston’s housing market has high and rising demand, especially for rental housing. It is susceptible to low vacancy rates and price rises significantly exceeding inflation. But deeper than that is an affordable housing crisis – an affordability mismatch – wherein households in the lowest income quintile are suffering a chronic shortage of supply, and end up paying too much of their income for shelter, settling for inadequate shelter, and/or compromising on the quality of the community they live in. This has important implications because disposable income, adequate housing and social environment are determinants of health. The federal government’s National Housing Strategy, thousands of adequate, affordable homes, and that limits Kingston’s social and economic vitality with provincial matching, has substantial new funds available, but it is first-come, first-served. The community should be as proactive and collaborative as possible to put together solid proposals and secure funding.