Kitchener contributes to Waterloo being the fastest growing region in Canada. It is a dynamic city experiencing strong recent growth and development which is expected to continue in the future. Over a 25-year period, Kitchener is expected to grow by approximately 80,000 people, which is equivalent to about 35,000 new households.

The city is changing with taller buildings, increasing urbanization and a trend to smaller household sizes. This growth brings both benefits and challenges. This is the first time in several decades that Kitchener is examining affordability across the housing continuum – from homelessness to community housing to affordable and market rental and ownership housing. When the Housing Needs Assessment was prepared and presented to Council in January 2020, affordability issues were documented throughout the housing continuum. It became clear that a Housing Strategy was needed to address issues along the complete continuum and not just the more usual approach to address the housing needs of people with low incomes.