Brantford City Council approved the ten-year Brantford-Brant Housing Stability Plan during their regular meeting held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
The plan outlines clear actions and measurable goals to reduce homelessness, advance human rights, increase affordable housing, and strengthen system integration and advocacy in Brantford and the County of Brant.
The 2025-2035 Housing Stability Plan was informed by extensive engagement with service providers, municipal leadership and staff, and community members including youth, seniors, and people with lived experience of housing instability. Input included 1,800 survey respondents, 300 focus group participants, and 60 in-depth interviews, alongside research from Wilfrid Laurier University identifying evidence-based approaches to reduce homelessness and strengthen housing stability.
“This comprehensive plan reflects what we’ve heard from our community and what we know works. Homelessness is a complex challenge that takes significant resources to manage, but the progress we’ve made since 2019 shows that coordinated, evidence-based action gets results. The 2025-2035 Housing Stability Plan gives us a clear roadmap to build on that momentum and ensure that our most vulnerable residents have access to safe, stable housing,” said Kevin Davis, Mayor for the City of Brantford.
The Housing Stability Plan identifies five strategic priorities to guide actionable outcomes and position the City of Brantford and the County of Brant to move beyond short-term crisis responses and toward sustained, coordinated progress on housing stability. They include:
- Reduce homelessness and work toward Functional Zero
- Advance a human rights-based response to unsheltered and encampment homelessness
- Increase and maintain affordable housing supply
- Provide targeted and equitable supports for priority populations
- Strengthen system integration and advocacy
Since 2019, over 300 units of municipally developed housing have been completed or are in progress and over 250 non-profit housing units have been built or are currently in development. Brantford’s Centralized Housing Waitlist is also at its lowest level in a decade, with over 928 families housed since 2019.
“The 2025-2035 Housing Stability Plan is a much-needed resource that will help guide staff in addressing housing challenges throughout our communities. Having these clear priorities will provide staff and community partners with the tools needed to continue responding to the concerns facing residents. The City of Brantford delivers social services on behalf of the County of Brant, and we recognize the work that went into developing this important plan for our communities,” added David Bailey, Mayor for the County of Brant.
The City of Brantford’s homelessness system coordination and data quality has been recognized at both provincial and national levels. The implementation of a community wide Coordinated Access System and a real time By-Name List has strengthened our ability to track needs, prioritize households, and measure outcomes.
Innovative local responses include the City of Brantford Encampment Network homelessness outreach model, the Housing Stability Worker Program, and the Live Well Brantford–Brant Supportive Housing Program. Together, these initiatives have demonstrated strong results in preventing eviction, supporting housing retention, and reducing returns to homelessness. Additional major projects underway include the development of a holistic housing hub at 389 West Street in Brantford as well as new supportive housing projects led by community partners.
Across Ontario, homelessness has significantly increased with more individuals experiencing chronic homelessness coupled with complex needs. Locally, these pressures are reflected in sustained demand on shelters, rising housing costs, and growing challenges for residents trying to access and maintain stable housing. Housing affordability remains the primary driver of instability.
In response, the 2025-2035 Brantford–Brant Housing Stability Plan sets out a shared vision and a clear, actionable ten-year framework to prevent and reduce homelessness, strengthen housing stability, and increase access to affordable housing across the region. Developed collaboratively, the Plan establishes measurable priorities to guide decisions and investments while remaining flexible and responsive to changing community needs.
The 2025-2035 Brantford-Brant Housing Stability Plan is available at Brantford.ca/HousingStabilityPlan and remains subject to approval by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
