Huron County lays out homelessness strategy for next decade
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Dan Rolph
A plan that sets the strategy for tackling homelessness and affordability in Huron County until 2035 has been approved.
County councillors approved the plan during the July 2 council meeting, where social and property services director Barbara Hall presented a report on the strategic document.
“The plan is built around five strategic goals, including preserving existing affordable housing, strengthening homelessness prevention and support services, improving system co-ordination and expanding affordable, supportive, accessible and age-friendly housing options,” said Hall.
The plan’s adoption comes as Huron County continues to see troubling trends in homelessness. The county’s latest figures reported 159 households were experiencing homelessness in June, one of the highest numbers reported by the county since it started sharing monthly homelessness figures in 2024.
To address that rising figure, the plan’s first goal is expanding access to affordable housing, mainly by working with community partners, developers and multiple levels of government. The county will also work to maintain modernize its existing social housing, setting a goal of having no net loss in the number of its housing units.
Strengthening the system of housing and homelessness supports is listed as a priority in the plan, particularly with a focus on enhancing homelessness prevention and early intervention to reduce the number of individuals accessing the system.
Increasing the share of new housing that is classified as medium or high density is also included in the plan, aimed at increasing housing diversity and accessibility.
According to the plan, housing demand in Huron County is projected to shift toward higher densities, including townhomes and apartments, which could together make up the majority of development over the next decade.
“Importantly, a shift to new built forms does not automatically produce housing that is affordable to low-income households or suitable for people with accessibility or support needs,” the plan states. “The projections underscore the need for deliberate policy and investment to ensure that new supply includes purpose-built rental and non-market options that support stability and prevent homelessness.”
The county’s plan also looks back on its previous efforts to expand the amount of affordable housing options to residents. Its two largest affordable housing projects over the last decade
include the 20-unit Sanders Street apartments in Exeter that opened in 2024, and the 40-unit Gibbons Street apartments in Goderich.
Huron County has also changed its strategy for sheltering those experiencing homelessness over the years, shifting away from a motel-based emergency shelter model to bridge transitional housing, a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association that makes 14 bedrooms available to those in need of urgent housing for up to three months.
However, the county’s new homelessness strategy identifies the bridge housing model as a pressure point within Huron County’s homelessness system, particularly due to individuals with complex needs that exceed available supports. The plan also points to a lack of emergency housing options in winter and the need for better homelessness prevention as other local pressure points in the system.
Though the plan lays out the county’s strategy over the next 10 years, Hall emphasized the county’s success in addressing homelessness and affordability will rely heavily on partnerships.
“While the plan sets the county’s direction over the next decade, many of its objectives will rely on continued partnerships and advocacy with senior levels of government as addressing housing affordability and homelessness requires co-ordinated action and sustained investment,” she said.