The City of Saskatoon is rolling out a new set of initiatives to address housing affordability and homelessness.
The plan, dubbed HOUSING Saskatoon, entails a new Affordable Housing Strategy for 2025-2030, the City’s first comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment, and municipal budget options to support housing incentives.
The Housing Needs Assessment found that about 10 per cent of Saskatoon households are in Core Housing Need, and the problem is projected to worsen. The need for action is propelled by rising rents, limited affordable options and increasing housing insecurity among low-income households, single mothers, seniors and Indigenous residents; demographics which the City calls priority populations. For example, single mothers represent 26.1 per cent of those in Core Housing Need. Seniors represent another 21.6 per cent, and Indigenous heads of household account for 19.1 per cent. These rates compare to the community-wide rate of Core Housing Need of 10.4 per cent.
The 2025-2030 housing strategy focuses on five key goals: diversifying housing options, increasing the supply of affordable housing, strengthening partnerships, raising awareness, and promoting equity in housing access. The strategy is comprised of 84 targeted actions, 52 of which are for immediate implementation. Some of these actions include encouraging the development of tiny homes, increase housing density near post-secondary institutions, leverage City-Owned land and civic facility opportunities, and create a dedicated website with resources for those seeking housing assistance.
The City currently allocates an annual amount of $450,000 in operating funding to support affordable housing efforts, but Administration notes that this number falls significantly short of what is needed to fully achieve the goals outlined in the new Strategy. To bridge the gap, a Business Plan Budget Options for both Capital and Operating have been submitted to the 2026/27 Multi-Year Business Plan and Budget deliberations.
The plan, as well as several means of financing it, will be presented and discussed at the Planning, Development and Community Services and Finance committee meetings on Wednesday.
