Simcoe County and Orillia partner to combat housing crisis with new plan

The County of Simcoe and the City of Orillia are teaming up to tackle the housing affordability crisis by creating conditions for attainable housing.

In a joint release issued on Thursday, the partnership announced a new plan called the Housing Attainable Supply Action Plan, or Housing ASAP, aimed at helping people in the "missing middle," meaning individuals and families searching for reasonably-priced housing in preferred communities.

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Housing ASAP aims to create the right conditions for private companies to build more affordable homes.

"Our residents know the cost of living is increasing at a rapid and uncomfortable pace, and we want to assure them that the County and its partners are working together to ensure that they have the conditions needed to thrive in our communities," stated County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke.

Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac acknowledged housing attainability is a "significant concern" in the Sunshine City.

"We are taking actions to address this, including hiring a housing coordinator and working with our partners at the County of Simcoe to find strategies to reduce the price of rental units and the cost of housing. We look forward to receiving the recommendations from the Draft Housing Attainable Supply Action Plan once complete and continuing our partnership with the County and other levels of government to work together to create solutions for housing in our community," McIsaac said.

The joint release stated that over the next five years, the project would develop strategies and ideas for local governments to implement.