Housing

Housing affordability and homelessness are top priorities for the City of Victoria.

Housing affordability is an issue for many people in Victoria.  Of the more than 41,000 households in Victoria, close to 60% are renters. This is almost twice the regional average. Almost half (46%) of all renters spend more than 30% of their pre-tax income on shelter. According the Statistics Canada, anyone spending this much on shelter, faces housing affordability challenges.

Victoria Housing Strategy

The City of Victoria has developed the Victoria Housing Strategy aimed at addressing housing affordability in Victoria. The three main strategic directions involve increasing supply of housing for low to moderate income households, encouraging diversity of housing types, tenures, and prices across the city and within neighbourhoods, and building awareness and partnerships for affordable housing through communication, education and advocacy.
 
Read the Housing Strategy here: Housing Strategy [PDF - 918 KB]

Annual Housing Reports

Annual housing reports include a compilation of housing data for the City of Victoria. The data comes from monthly reports of building permit issuance and is supplemented by data from the Victoria Real Estate Board and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).  Where possible, the data is broken down by neighbourhood and/or accompanied by previous years data for comparison.

Secondary Suites

Secondary suites offer homeowners a variety of benefits and increase the amount of safe, affordable housing in Victoria. A secondary suite is a legal suite, located within a single family detached house and cannot be strata-titled.

Read more information on the City of Victoria's Secondary Suites Program.

Affordable Housing

The City of Victoria is an active partner and a strong advocate for affordable housing. We recognize the role that housing plays in creating a strong, vibrant and diverse community.

"Make Victoria More Affordable” is a key objective in the City’s new strategic plan for focus and investment over the next four years. In April 2015, City Council created the Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability, comprised of citizens and community leaders with experience in planning, architecture, real estate development, anti-poverty and non-profit housing.

The role of the Task Force is to consult with community stakeholders to develop recommendations to City Council on innovative housing policy solutions, including measures within municipal jurisdiction that will improve housing affordability and increase the supply of affordable housing units, which is defined as a unit that a household of low to moderate income can afford to live in.

The Task Force has developed recommendations that are undergoing review at public Council workshops in October. Learn more.

Since 2004 the City of Victoria has been proactively addressing the affordable housing issue and has been working with many different housing agencies (both private and public) to create opportunities to address housing needs across the housing continuum. Read about affordable housing initiatives from 2008-2010 [PDF - 306 KB].

Assisted Housing

The purpose of assisted housing is to provide accommodation for eligible senior citizens, families and individuals. To qualify for assisted housing, applicants are assessed on the basis of need. In Victoria, assisted housing includes a variety of:

  • Self-contained rental units in apartments and townhouses for families, seniors and individuals
  • Co-op housing
  • Complex care facilities
  • Transition housing
  • Shelters
  • Youth housing
  • Supportive housing
  • Group homes

Assisted housing is managed by housing providers. The City of Victoria supports the work of these key housing providers:

Most assisted housing can be applied for through BC Housing

Links to Other Resources