Housing For All Strategy, Kitchener

Description

Housing For All is the City of Kitchener’s comprehensive strategy to realize the right to housing and help make housing affordable using the tools and resources available to a local municipality. In late 2020, this award-winning affordable housing strategy was officially launched and outlined several co-development solutions to increase affordable housing options across the local housing continuum. This five-year strategy outlines seven key priorities and over 40 actions which the City has committed to implement.

Partners

Housing For All was developed in collaboration an advisory committee consisting of those with lived experience, community partners, academics, the Region of Waterloo, affordable housing service providers, and the development industry, to inform its direction and identify solutions that will make a difference locally. Many of these partners continue to be involved in the Strategy’s ongoing implementation.

Beneficiaries

Current and future residents of the City of Kitchener.

Details

Housing For All is a human rights-based strategy to address homelessness and housing, and in addition to the progress and partnerships noted above, Kitchener is working with The Shift on a project to realize the right to housing in Kitchener; The Shift is a global housing advocacy group led by Leilani Farha as Global Director and former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing

Additional information

https://www.kitchener.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Documents/DSD_PLAN_Housing_For_All_Kitchener_Housing_Strategy.pdf

Goal 11
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Government
People

Early actions included extending a 50-year land lease to the YW of Kitchener-Waterloo to develop 41 new supportive housing units for women experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and support to OneROOF to develop 44 supportive housing units for youth. Kitchener has also implemented policy changes to enable backyard and tiny homes, and development review improvements to accelerate planning approvals for affordable housing.

Financing (in USD)
Staff / Technical expertise
Other, please specify
Volunteers: Housing for was developed in collaboration with a working group, which was largely comprised of community members whose lived experience and expertise in a wide variety of areas directly informed the direction, scope and content of the Strategy.