Housing Action Plan

What is a Housing Action Plan?

A Housing Action Plan is a roadmap that outlines the steps the City can take to support more housing options in Whitehorse. It is informed by local housing needs, community feedback, and research and analysis.

Why is a Housing Action Plan needed?

Whitehorse is growing and residents need a range of affordable housing options, including rentals, accessible and supportive housing, and entry-level home ownership opportunities. The Housing Action Plan will identify actions the City can take to help close the gap between housing supply and need.

What is the City’s role in the housing system?

The City focuses on areas where it can influence most directly, including land use planning, development approvals, municipal policies, incentives, advocacy, education, and partnerships. Addressing housing needs is a shared responsibility. While the City has an important role, support from other levels of government, the private sector, non-profit organizations, and community partners is also needed.

Through the Whitehorse 2040 Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw, the City helps guide growth and determines what types of housing can be built and where. The Housing Development Incentives Policy encourages the development of rental and supportive housing, as well as projects led by non-profit and non-governmental organizations.

The Housing Action Plan will identify actions the City can take to help address housing needs, whether by leading initiatives, supporting partners, advocating for change, or working collaboratively with others.

How is a Housing Action Plan developed?

The City’s Housing Action Plan will be informed by community feedback and research, including what tools have been effective in other parts of Canada. It will also reflect the City’s high-level planning documents and up-to-date studies, including:

1. Whitehorse 2040 Official Community Plan: This plan guides how Whitehorse will grow up to 2040. Through the residential growth strategy, it directs where new homes can be built and what forms of development can take place. It also encourages new housing in areas that already have municipal services, such as water and sewer.
2. Housing Needs Assessment: This assessment identifies existing gaps in housing supply and future housing needs across a range of housing types, including rental, supportive, accessible, and ownership options.
3. Jurisdictional Scan: This study looks at approaches used in other communities and identifies tools that could help address housing shortages in Whitehorse.

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.