Housing Action Plan
The City is working on a Housing Action Plan to help address the gap between the number of homes available and the needs of the community.
The plan will be informed by:
- the Housing Needs Assessment;
- the Official Community Plan’s Residential Growth Strategy;
- feedback from the community; and
- other relevant research and background information.
Right now, the project team is sharing information from the Housing Needs Assessment and doing research to explore possible actions for the Housing Action Plan. We're planning community engagement later in 2026.
To stay up to date and hear about future opportunities to get involved, subscribe to this page. If you have questions, visit the Questions section below and someone from the Planning team will get back to you.
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2026 Housing Needs Assessment
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The City of Whitehorse recently finalized a 2026 Housing Needs Assessment (HNA) of the community. The HNA was completed by the consulting firm CitySpaces, in partnership with Groundswell Planning. The full report can be read here. Key findings of the report are outlined below. The HNA will be used to inform the development of a Housing Action Plan for Whitehorse.
Key Findings
From 2011 to 2021, Whitehorse grew by 21.2%, or 1.9% annually, more than double the trend seen across Canada.
Between 2021 to 2041, the population is forecast to increase to 48,410 people, which reflects an annual growth rate of 2.6% (Yukon Bureau of Statistics).
Since 2011, vacancy rates have generally remained below 3%. COVID-19 resulted in additional rental market pressures, with declining vacancy rates and increasing rental prices. Between 2022 and 2024, median advertised rental prices have risen from $2,100 to $2,350. With limited new construction of rental buildings with 3+ rental units, there is a need for additional purpose-built rental housing.
There is an estimated need for 3,015 additional homes over the next five years (2026 to 2031).
Between 2020 and 2024, the City issued an average of 389 residential building permits per year, representing a 61% increase from the trend seen in the previous five-year period.
Approximately 36% of the housing need is for rental homes, including 17% for market rentals, 14 to 15% for non-market rental housing, and 5% for deeply subsidized or supportive housing.
Monthly summaries from the Whitehorse By-Name List (late 2024 to early 2025) show an average of 167 people actively unhoused in Whitehorse and an average of 138 people who meet the definition of chronic homelessness.
With the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter averaging a monthly occupancy rate of 80%, additional supports are needed for people experiencing homelessness.
Approximtely 84% of the new homes will need to provide one or two bedrooms, and 25% of these new one or two bedroom homes will need to serve households earning less than $55,000 annually.
Lengthy waitlists for Yukon Housing Corporation housing demonstrate a need for additional non-market rental housing options for seniors and other low-income households
Renter households are challenged to find affordable housing, with 19% of renter households spending more than 30% of income on shelter costs in 2021.
With an aging population, there is a growing need for adaptable and accessible housing in areas close to services and amenities.
Homeownership is out of reach for most households (61%), as the minimum income needed to afford the average priced condominium in 2024 was $135,000.
There is a significant gap in Whitehorse’s housing continuum for supportive housing, as demonstrated through engagement and Health and Social Services’ Housing with Services Needs Assessment.
