Creating a vibrant community that is safe, appropriate and affordable for all is an essential part of the Town's Strategic Plan. Halton Hills is committed to ensuring that current and future residents have access to an adequate supply and range of housing choices.
Recognizing the importance of facilitating housing that is affordable and accessible to all, the Town has included affordable housing directives into the Official Plan, Secondary Plans, Community Sustainability Strategy, and Strategic Plan.
Identifying and delivering on affordable housing solutions is a priority for this term of Council. To date, the Town has taken the following actions to support the provision of affordable housing:
Accessory dwelling units, often referred to as second suites or basement apartments, are dwelling units created in addition to a principal residence. In Halton Hills, accessory dwelling units are permitted in most single-family homes.
Creating a second dwelling unit in your home helps provide housing options for people of all ages and incomes. It’s also an opportunity to create a rental space in your home for added income.
In the Town of Halton Hills, a Two-Unit house is a house on one lot containing two dwelling units.
A building permit is required for the creation of a new accessory dwelling unit within an existing house.
Registration of a new two-unit house has now been included in the building permit application process (with a much reduced registration fee).
For detailed information on this process the Creation of Accessory Dwelling Units & Registration of Two-Unit Houses Guide is available on the Town’s website.
Application forms are available online and may be completed by the property’s registered owner or a person authorized by the owner.
By creating a second unit in your home, you can provide support for those that need housing the most in our community. Halton Region’s Rent Supplement Program reduces the cost of housing for tenants in low-income households and there are a number of benefits for participating landlords, too.
Visit Halton Region’s website or call 905-825-6000, 311 within Halton, or by email at rentsupplement@halton.ca
Existing illegal accessory dwelling units may be legalized through a separate registration process providing the existing two-unit house complies with the Zoning By-law, Property Standards By-law, Building Code and Fire Code.
A building permit may be required for the work previously completed without one or for the modifications resulting from the pre-registration inspections.
For more information please contact the Building Permit Intake Analyst at 905-873-2600, ext. 2324.
Further information on accessory dwelling by-laws is available on our website.
Securing housing that is appropriate, accessible and affordable is becoming more and more difficult for households across Ontario and Halton Hills is no different. Recognizing these growing challenges, the Town continues to work to advance attainable housing solutions for residents of all ages and stages of life.
One potential housing solution for Halton Hills is to facilitate the creation of mixed-income communities on Town-owned lands. 17 Guelph Street, the former ambulance site, is a Town-owned surplus property that has been identified as a potential location for this type of development. We are looking at a range of housing options for the site, including market affordable and assisted units.
Please visit the Let's Talk Halton Hills page for more information on the project.
17 Guelph Street is envisioned as a mixed-income rental housing development in the heart of Georgetown. Within walking distance to transit and daily amenities, the site is a supportive location for households of various needs. The proposed development will contain up to 14 units and aims to integrate a mix of affordable and assisted housing, targeting the Town’s critical deficiencies along the housing continuum.
Located at 37 King Street, Georgetown, the Exchange Hotel (c. 1850) was originally used to house railway workers. The property was purchased by Habitat for Humanity and the Town of Halton Hills has partnered with them to support the construction of affordable housing. Six dwellings will be built on site; two in the re purposed Exchange Hotel plus four additional town-homes.
Halton Region delivers a variety of programs that work to maintain safe and affordable housing for low and moderate income households.
Halton Region housing programs that may be of interest to Halton Hills residents:
If you have challenges with finding or maintaining your rental home, Halton Region may be able to help. Assistance may be in the form of rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing, which provides safe rental housing for individuals and families with low incomes or financial assistance where you are currently renting. If you are in need of RGI housing, you can apply to Halton Access to Community Housing (HATCH). To learn more, visit Halton Region’s Assisted Housing Webpage or call 311.
Halton Region’s Rent Supplement Program creates new affordable housing opportunities by working with private Halton landlords to make units available for low-income households. There are many benefits to participating landlords. To learn more about becoming a participating landlord, visit Halton Region’s Rent Supplement webpage, call 311 or email rentsupplement@halton.ca.
The Halton Accessibility Repair Program (HARP) provides financial assistance to eligible Halton homeowners for home repairs or accessibility modifications in the form of a combined grant and forgivable loan, up to a maximum of $15,000. For information on eligibility requirements and to apply for this program, call 311 or view the HARP Factsheet.
If you are at risk of eviction/homelessness, support is available through the Housing Stability Fund. This fund provides one-time assistance to eligible Halton residents with a goal to help residents gain and retain affordable rental housing in Halton Region. Visit Halton’s Housing Stability Fund webpage or dial 311 for more information.
If you have challenges finding or maintaining affordable rental housing in Halton Region you can access assistance through Halton Housing Help (HHH). HHH provides support to assist you in finding and accessing affordable rental housing and community support services. To learn more, visit the Halton Housing Help webpage, or call 311.
Everyone has the right to safe, decent, permanent and affordable housing. Sadly, homelessness exists in every country, city and town, and is the result of many different factors. You may have personal experience in witnessing homeless individuals in Halton Hills and wondered how you can help. Read our Homelessness FAQs.
