Journey to a York Region Community Housing Land Trust

Affordable rental housing is scarce in York Region. The majority of the Region’s households are owned, but homeownership is increasingly unaffordable. Renting is an option for people who would like to live in York Region, but the demand has never been higher. As a result, the Region’s community groups are looking for ways to improve their understanding of housing need. They also are seeking to increase its rental housing stock.

The Journey to a York Region Community Housing Land Trust project will help address that affordable housing shortage. It will demonstrate the implementation of an existing community land trust (CLT) solution from Community Affordable Housing Solutions (CAHS) in Toronto. The CLT will be adapted to York Region to help provide local organizations with land and resources. This, in turn, will help create and preserve affordable housing for the region’s residents.

Project scope and expected outcomes

An ideal environment for testing community land trust solutions for affordable housing

York Region is a unique jurisdiction in Ontario, with a complex political, economic and social environment. Its population of 1 million is a diverse mix of cultures, backgrounds, and urban and rural areas. It is governed by 1 service manager for housing—the Regional Municipality of York—and 9 cities and towns.

This diversity offers an ideal environment for testing community land trust (CLT) solutions for affordable housing. CLTs are non-profit corporations created to acquire and hold land for a community. The land is perpetually held in trust to help provide access for community use, such as affordable housing. CLTs are membership-based organizations, governed by an elected board of directors, and often made of community members and non-profit organizations.

This project will demonstrate the process of implementing an existing CLT solution. The initiative will be based on lessons learned from Community Affordable Housing Solutions (CAHS) in Toronto. CAHS is an expansion-driven, not-for-profit organization that works to address the housing needs of low- and moderate-income citizens. This demonstration will adapt the existing CAHS model from Toronto for use in York Region.

The project will also leverage the existing network of affordable housing and social service organizations in York Region. Blue Door, York Region’s largest emergency housing provider, will provide a leadership role in engaging partners and developing the CLT.

Creating and preserving housing affordability in York Region

With support from the National Housing Strategy (NHS) Demonstrations Initiative, this project will implement a CLT based on the CAHS model. The CLT would be sector-led, meaning non-profit organizations would hold land to create and preserve housing affordability in the community. The CLT would focus on serving residents of York Region. Only organizations and partners based in York Region focused on creating affordable housing solutions would participate.

The CLT would own land and grant the right to its use to third parties through long-term leasehold agreements. This approach would allow the CLT to retain control over who has access to the land. It also would remove the land cost from housing development, which will enhance affordability. The CLT would help develop affordable housing of different types, including supportive housing and affordable ownership.

The CLT leasehold agreements would ensure that the housing remains affordable by limiting the resale value of the homes. As a result, the CLT would retain most of their appreciation, although households could still realize some profit. This would help preserve existing affordable housing.

A flexible community land trust solution that is adaptable to changes in government policy and funding

This model has several benefits:

1. The CLT solution is flexible and adaptable to changes in government policy and funding programs. The CLT would be a single point of contact for governments to best allocate land and funds for affordable housing.
2. The CLT can increase access to funding by pooling resources and networks across York Region.
3. It can improve long-term sustainability by centralizing asset management and maintaining property management. As its portfolio grows, the CLT would be able to absorb distressed housing assets for redevelopment or improved management.
4. Surpluses would be reinvested for future growth or to expand support for residents. This reinvestment would eventually improve resiliency to changes in government policy and support, reducing reliance on ongoing funding.
5. A portfolio of community housing assets would provide affordability in perpetuity for low- and moderate-income people.

Adapting the model to the needs of the York Region

The project will begin by interviewing key members of the CAHS team. These interviews will help determine the suitability and fit of elements of the CAHS model. The project will also conduct additional York Region-specific research and interview experts about the proposed CLT’s feasibility, desirability and viability. The goal is to identify opportunities in York Region, and to create initial drafts of the business model, governance and more.

The project team will create initial drafts to develop in greater detail, establish recruitment criteria and begin to draft communications materials. They will also develop the longer-term roadmap for the CLT’s implementation and scaling.

Finally, the project will work towards implementing the adapted CLT. This will include finalizing the roadmap, polishing the communications materials and creating knowledge products.

Designed for York Region, but applicable to the rest of Ontario and throughout Canada

While the CLT is designed to be specific to York Region, it will help other organizations across Canada. For example, it will offer insight into navigating the 2-tier municipal government structure in Ontario. It will also help affordable housing organizations share resources, collaborate and improve capacity.

In the short term, the project will bring together potential partners who would otherwise be unlikely to meet. It will start conversations about the new CLT and form relationships that support collective action. It will also instigate a conversation about expanding efforts to increase the capacity of housing providers in the area.

In the longer term, the project hopes to create partnerships in the Region that result in new affordable housing units. In particular, it may improve how non-profit housing providers work with municipalities and access, pool and use community benefits. It also seeks to change how housing providers find partners and seek funding, both in Ontario and across Canada.