Press Releases & News

Community members request action and accountability from City Hall to address Guelph's Housing Crisis

Jun 12, 2023

(Guelph, June 12, 2023) – A growing cross-section of community leaders have come together to request immediate and ongoing action to address Guelph’s housing crisis.  

 

The housing crisis in Guelph is complex, it spans across the housing continuum; from emergency shelter for homeless individuals, to affordable options for low-income individuals, to market rates beyond the reach of many people in our community. This isn’t unique to Guelph. And it won’t be easy to fix.  This crisis will take many years to resolve and will require commitment and attention from all levels of government.   

 

While City of Guelph staff and council have made some progress on the crisis to-date, the community coalition points to two critical missing elements – a clear and comprehensive plan of action and the appointment of someone in place with the authority and resources to act and be accountable for results. More specifically the community coalition has put forward four requests in order to quickly build more homes across the housing continuum: 

  • Appoint a housing commissioner to collaboratively build out the plan, be accountable for achieving results and publicly champion the progress on the outcomes. 
  • Ensure that emergency housing infrastructure is in place and ready for at risk individuals by the Fall of this year.  
  • Work with community partners such as the University of Guelph and Habitat for Humanity to accelerate affordable housing projects. 
  • Work with the homebuilding/developer community to change the focus of approvals from “who’s to blame” to “what’s the next step” in order to accelerate the pipeline of projects and get more projects queued up ready to go.  

 

It is imperative that elected leaders and official decision makers of our community act now.  We do not need to wait for further or more consultation. #bettercantwait. 

 

“There are times where complex problems and political impasse require community intervention.  The housing crisis in Guelph is one of those times – and our community is prepared to step up.” 
– Shakiba Shayani, President & CEO, Guelph Chamber of Commerce 

 

“Witnessing the willingness and dedication of this community as it comes together in service to addressing the housing crisis gives me genuine hope for a better future – I’ve never been prouder to be part of this network.” 
– Michael Keegan, President, MK&A and Guelph Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Advisor