County housing, homelessness plan unchanged despite further review
Staff says certain sections of plan 'cannot change' despite letter requesting 'refinement' from Guelph mayor
GUELPH – County council had no further comments last week about a 10-year housing and homelessness plan that was presented to the joint Guelph-Wellington social services committee in September.
The goal is to ensure everyone in Wellington-Guelph can find and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing.
The plan was deferred to the Oct. 29 council meeting after certain members stated the report lacked firm targets and they were not provided enough time to review it.
“The comments focus on areas where additional clarification, context or refinement may strengthen the final document and support a shared understanding of roles, implementation expectations and anticipated outcomes,” states an Oct. 13 letter to housing staff from committee member and Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.
The city “is seeking additional information on references in the draft plan related to future actions to support affordable housing, including community and supportive housing,” the letter continues.
According to the plan, homelessness has increased “significantly,” from an average of 186 individuals in 2023 to 243 in 2024 and remaining above 263 in 2025.
Guelph has a “moderate” rate of low income (8.2 per cent) residents, while several rural communities experience higher rates, notably Wellington North (12.1%) and Minto (10.7%).
“The poverty rate among young children and youth is higher in Wellington North (14.4%) and Mapleton (12.8%),” the plan states.
County housing director Dave Purdy told council, “housing services conducted a community consultation [in] January and February of this year.”
The consultation process included four in-person sessions, an online survey and community group engagement sessions, which were all open to the public.
“This is an important step to the integrity of the plan, and therefore, the goals and actions identified in the plan through the community consultations and validation process captured the community input.
“At this point, these sections cannot change,” Purdy said.
He added staff members feel the recent input is “in line with the plan itself and we will consider the recent feedback in the development of the housing services work plans.”
Council passed a motion to receive the correspondence on the 10-year housing and homelessness plan and refer it to staff.
