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Throughout October UrbanToronto is featuring a special State of Housing editorial series to examine the pressing housing challenges facing Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
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Toronto’s Planning and Housing Committee has received its annual progress update on the HousingTO 2020–2030 Action Plan and the 2022–2026 Housing Action Plan, outlining gains in affordable housing delivery and tenant protection. Despite a downturn in private-sector activity, City-supported developments accounted for 65% of all new housing starts between January and August, 2025, with nearly 30,000 rent-controlled, affordable, rent-geared-to-income, and supportive homes approved since 2020.
“This report shows the progress we’re making to build more affordable homes and support tenants in the face of unprecedented housing pressures,” said Mayor Olivia Chow. “Alongside the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, we can build even more homes and deliver the affordable housing Torontonians need.”
By the end of 2024, the City had approved 29,744 new rent-controlled, affordable, rent-geared-to-income, and supportive homes, reaching 46% of its 65,000-unit goal under the HousingTO Plan. This included 18,859 affordable rentals, 8,166 rent-controlled units, 2,719 rent-geared-to-income homes, and 1,812 supportive units.
Construction activity reflected this progress, with nearly 1,000 affordable homes starting work in 2024, 632 completed, and another 863 expected to open by the end of 2025. Twenty-three community housing projects are currently under construction, part of a growing pipeline of more than 250 additional affordable rental developments.
The City is expanding non-market housing through its new Public Developer model, taking a direct role in how public lands are used for affordable homes. Construction began in 2024 at 11 Brock Avenue and 35 Bellevue Avenue, both developed in partnership with community housing organizations.
The City is also working to preserve existing affordable homes through acquisition, regulation, and tenant supports. With an historic $100 million investment in the program over 2024 and 2025, the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition (MURA) Program secured 1,076 homes by the end of 2024, with more than 700 of them added last year alone, including 56 for Indigenous households, moving the City closer to its 1,500-unit goal. While further strengthening the preservation of affordable homes, property tax relief and repair grants assisted low-income seniors in maintaining their residences.
A new Rental Renovation Licence By-law, in effect since July, 2025, requires landlords to obtain permits before major renovations, curbing illegal “renovictions.” Meanwhile, housing stability programs such as the Toronto Rent Bank and Eviction Prevention in Community helped more than 3,100 households avoid displacement in 2024, and nearly 12,000 households have avoided eviction since 2020, surpassing the City’s ten-year target.
To speed up the delivery, the City has restructured its internal processes around housing approvals and project coordination. The newly established Development Review Division is streamlining review timelines for housing and infrastructure projects, while a dedicated Housing Development Office is now overseeing the advancement of City-led and supported builds.
The report stresses that further progress relies on federal and provincial support. Through the federal Build Canada Homes initiative, Toronto identifies an opportunity to deliver more than 4,000 supportive, affordable, and market rental homes on public lands within the next 12 to 18 months. The City seeks renewed provincial funding of $48 million annually for three years, plus $16 million in 2026 and $23 million in 2027, for 730 new supportive homes opening between 2025 and 2027.
“The City of Toronto is making progress to unlock more rental homes including affordable homes, while implementing measures to preserve existing affordable housing and protect tenants,” said Councillor Gord Perks, Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee. “We have shown we are ready to take immediate action and are requesting additional funding from both the federal and provincial governments to fund and unlock more housing.”
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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe—from proposal through to completion. Other services include Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
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Thank you to the companies joining UrbanToronto to celebrate State of Housing Month.
