Meeting Our Housing Needs

I support Saanich continuing to work with partners in our Region to see attainable housing, rental and/or ownership, being built across the full spectrum of needs. 

This includes housing for employees, like work place housing, seniors, young adults and young families. Affordability is also about where located and that’s where services and good transit are. The types of choices could be townhouses, co-op, condos/apartments, and more.

We have been doing a lot of work around housing needs in Saanich and the Capital Regional District. It is important to recognize housing gaps are always changing.

The recently updated Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) identifies two key housing-related priorities integral to the long term livability and sustainability of the region:

  1. the development of policies and strategies designed to promote and support a range of housing types and tenures to meet the needs of individuals of all ages, incomes and abilities; and

  2. initiatives to improve housing affordability including the provision of a mix of housing types (market and non-market).

Saanich addresses Affordable Housing through:

  1. Participation in a regional housing affordability strategy led by the CRD;

  2. Financial support for regional affordable housing initiatives;

  3. Funding for projects through the Saanich Affordable Housing Fund;

  4. Affordable housing policy contained in the Official Community Plan (OCP).

Click here to see our Support for Housing Affordability in Saanich information sheet. Plus highlighting some of the Social Housing Projects in Saanich.

CRD Updated Regional Affordability Housing Strategy, which was adopted by the CRD Board, has the following goals on housing needs:

  • Goal #1: Build the right supply of housing across the spectrum;

  • Goal #2: Sustain a shared regional response to existing and emerging housing demand;

  • Goal #3: Protect and maintain existing non-market and market rental housing stock;

  • Goal #4: Develop and operationalize a regionally coordinated housing and homelessness response;

  • Goal #5: Create community understanding and support for affordable housing developments.

If you want to see some of the work we have been doing at CRD here are a couple of good links: