Supportive Housing Strategy
All Niagara Region projects

About the project

The Supportive Housing Strategy outlines a plan to address the existing and growing need for housing with supports in Niagara.

Supportive housing provides affordability, health and social supports in stable housing to those with complex needs who are experiencing homelessness. It helps people live as independently as possible in their communities.

Supportive housing is prioritized for individuals who have or have had one or more of the following:

• Chronic experiences of homelessness
• Mental health challenges
• Physical health needs
• Substance use disorders
• Complex and persistent conditions
• Age-related challenges (such as cognitive decline or frailty)
• Experiences of trauma

Through background research, community engagement and professional consultation, the strategy developed recommendations on where attention and investment are needed to close service gaps and meet the demand for supportive housing across many sectors.

Current supportive housing available in Niagara:

• 427 supportive housing units
• 0 are highly supportive housing

Supportive housing needed in Niagara:

• 945 additional supportive housing units are needed
• 565 of those should meet the needs for highly supportive housing

The strategy makes three recommendations:

• Make better use of our current housing spaces
  • Improve coordination of services and programs
  • Enhance system oversight
  • Increase system flow-through
• Protect and retain those spaces
  • Support housing providers and landlords
  • Increase the number of supportive housing units in existing buildings
• Create more housing that meets community needs
  • Develop a pipeline of shovel-ready projects
  • Advocate for funding from all levels of government

This strategy will impact the housing and homelessness focus area of Niagara's Community Safety and Well-Being Plan by improving access to housing, mental health and addictions services.

Learn more about supporting housing programs.

Project timeline