Rural Ontario Institute's One Stop Solution for Rural Housing Information
by Bob Montgomery
The Rural Ontario Institute recently announced the launch of the Rural Housing Information System to rural Western Ontario municipalities.
Kezia Cowtan is the Rural Housing Information System Project Manager. She says the RHIS was originally developed in collaboration with the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus and has expanded its reach to include the entirety of rural Western Ontario in addition to Ontario's South Central Region. They're now working with the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus and South Central Ontario Region Economic Development Corporation. Cowtan says this expansion reflects significant inroads towards addressing housing challenges in rural areas. The Rural Housing Information System will further expand to include the rural municipalities of Northern Ontario in 2024.
Cowtan says rural communities throughout rural Ontario are using interesting housing initiatives that are helping to create more diversity in their housing units and are encouraging more affordable builds with grants or waivers and there's a lot that can be learned when the rural communities get together and discuss what works for them and what doesn't. She says there still are people who are vigorously resisting change in their rural community, but the majority of people are recognizing that change is necessary and development is coming. They believe if they can guide it, they can end up with the type of development they need for their community.
Cowtan says the Rural Housing Information System is open to municipal staff and they're encouraged to sign up at https://www.ruralontariohousing.ca/. In the coming months, ROI will be further promoting the site to builders and developers to see more affordable housing developments in rural municipalities of Ontario. Cowtan says currently, in rural Ontario, there is a shortage of salient housing data. A lack of adequate data is a barrier to the planning and construction of affordable housing in rural regions. The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus has identified that the region will require 173-thousand new housing units by 2041. The Rural Housing Information System is designed to provide essential data to home builders, ensuring informed decisions for the construction of these units. The RHIS is committed to emphasizing rural data, acknowledging the unique needs of rural communities.
The Rural Housing Information System leverages data through a user-friendly and automated dashboard, encompassing:
Demographic and economic trends, including population statistics, growth patterns, age distributions, and income data.
Comprehensive information on average home prices and market rental rates.
Identification of available zoned land suitable for multi-dwelling housing development.
Exploration of available incentives, including municipal grants or other incentives supporting housing initiatives.
A detailed inventory of housing assets and amenities within the region.
The capability to compare housing data among different municipalities, facilitating informed decision-making.
As the tool grows, there are opportunities for expanding data collection by engaging multiple stakeholders across the province. This growth in data collection will enhance the RHIS's capacity to provide a more thorough and inclusive understanding of housing dynamics, supporting the creation of affordable housing.
