What Is a Housing Needs Assessment?
Your life is a journey, but can your housing keep up? Our lives change, our needs shift and our housing stock needs to reflect that. Housing needs reports aim to identify current and predicted gaps in housing supply by collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information about:
- Current and projected population
- Household income
- Significant economic sectors
- Currently available and anticipated housing units
A completed report is required to contain statements about key needs, the number and type of housing units required and the number of households in core and extreme core housing needs.
View more information on provincial housing needs reports and requirements
2024 Interim Housing Needs Report
In September 2024, Council received the Interim Housing Needs Report:
2021 Housing Needs Assessment: Final Report
The final North Cowichan Sub-Regional Report was completed in January 2021:
2021 Housing Needs Assessment: Project overview
As of April 2019, local governments are provincially required to develop and publish housing needs reports. In doing so, local governments and the provincial government can better understand and address housing needs throughout B.C.
The Cowichan Valley Regional District is developing a Regional Housing Needs Assessment in partnership with the Municipality of North Cowichan and the three other member municipalities; Town of Ladysmith, City of Duncan and Town of Lake Cowichan. This work is being completed for each electoral area and member municipality.
The Housing Needs Reports funding program, administered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), supports local governments in undertaking housing needs reports in order to meet the provincial requirements.
A housing needs assessment will help us understand what kinds of housing are most needed in our region’s communities now and in the future, which will help inform the official community plan and development decisions.