Housing Needs Assessments
Gain an in-depth understanding of local housing challenges, including affordability, accessibility, and availability.
Every community in Canada faces unique housing challenges – from affordability crises in big cities to shortages of seniors’ housing in small towns.
Our Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) uses data analysis to give your community a clear picture of its housing needs and gaps, providing evidence-based insights to guide housing decisions, now and in the future, while aligning with the federal and provincial government’s funding application requirements.
We answer critical questions for local governments and housing providers: How severe are our housing issues, who is most affected, and where should we focus our efforts? and provide an array of metrics and recommendations that support planning, funding applications, and policy decisions.
Benefits of Our Housing Needs Assessment
Funding Readiness: Back up proposals with data to boost success.
Targeted Development: Know which housing types to prioritize and where.
Policy Alignment: Align with provincial and federal housing strategies.
Equity Focus: Address needs of underserved groups.
Tracking Progress: Set baselines, measure outcomes, and adjust strategies.
Our Assessments provide information such as
Core Housing Need
The proportion of households living in unacceptable conditions – housing that is overcrowded, in disrepair, or unaffordable – and who cannot afford alternative local housing. Housing providers can use this data to target affordable housing developments where the need is highest.
Housing Affordability
Detailed measures of affordability, such as the percentage of households spending 30% or more of their income on shelter costs. High rates of cost-burdened households signal that many residents are struggling to afford rent or mortgages.
Income Distribution
Analysis of household income levels and distribution across the community. By aligning housing supply with residents’ income profiles, local governments can ensure new developments and supports are financially accessible to the people who need them most.
Population & Migration Trends
Current and projected population growth, including immigration and inter-provincial migration patterns that drive housing demand. Housing providers gain valuable foresight into market demand, informing proactive development to prevent future shortages.
Indigenous Housing Gaps
Clear identification of inequitable housing outcomes shaped by historic underfunding and systemic barriers. Our analysis highlights where Indigenous households face disproportionate core housing need and supports municipalities in recognizing these realities in a way that aligns with reconciliation commitments.
Household Composition
A breakdown of household types in the community – whether people are living alone, as couples, in families with children, multi-generational households, seniors living with care, etc. This enables you to tailor housing projects to fit the actual makeup of the community.
Overcrowding and Suitability
Rates of overcrowding – households living in dwellings that lack enough bedrooms or space for their size, according to national standards. This helps communities target solutions like building more family-sized units or providing rent supplements to reduce crowding.
Seniors’ Housing Needs
Insights into housing challenges facing seniors (65+), one of Canada’s fastest growing demographic groups. This data supports proactive planning for senior-specific housing projects and support services, allowing older adults to remain safely housed in their community.
Rental Market Stress
Indicators of the rental housing market’s health, such as rental vacancy rates, rent levels and increases, and the share of renters experiencing housing stress (e.g., spending >30% or >50% of income on rent). These insights support local decisions to tackle rental market issues – whether it’s vacancy, affordability, or adequacy of rental stock – in a proactive, targeted way.
Our Approach
Our approach ensures your Housing Needs Assessment meets federal and provincial government guidelines and reflects local realities.
We combine data sources with community input to analyze everything from affordability to demographics, then translate the findings into clear, actionable insights aligned with best practices to address your community’s housing challenges.
We combine data sources with community input to analyze everything from affordability to demographics, then translate the findings into clear, actionable insights aligned with best practices to address your community’s housing challenges.
Why Housing Needs Assessments Matter
Accurate and thorough Housing Needs Assessments are essential for municipalities and housing agencies to effectively plan, secure funding, and implement housing solutions.
The insights provided by our assessments enable stakeholders to address housing challenges directly and improve living conditions for residents.
The results are instrumental for policymakers, planners, and funding bodies in making informed, impactful decisions that lead to healthier, more vibrant communities.
Connect with our team to discuss your community’s housing needs
