Housing is one of the biggest factors that can impact someone’s heath and wellbeing. Ensuring people have access to quality housing that is safe, stable, accessible and affordable promotes positive health outcomes, encourages social inclusion, supports participation in education and employment, and is proven to reduce public costs associated with healthcare and emergency services. Our whole community benefits when people have housing that meets their needs and yet..
Rent is increasing faster than people’s ability to afford it.
0 neighbourhoods in Guelph are affordable for a full-time minimum wage worker.1
Homelessness is rising due to system and policy failures.
234 people are experiencing chronic homelessness in Guelph-Wellington.2
The need for rent-geared-to-income housing is surging.
The centralized waitlist has sharply increased since 2019, with households waiting 5 years on average and some 8+ years.3
Affordable housing is being lost faster than it’s being built.
For every 1 new home added, Canada is losing 11 lower-rent affordable homes.4
YIMBY in Action: The Impact of Saying “Yes”
Because of supporters like you real change is possible and happening.
Guelph-Wellington has long been a leader in preventing and ending homelessness, bringing people together to create lasting solutions. When our community recognized the need for permanent supportive housing for people with complex needs, we took action.
With three new supportive housing projects on the horizon, hundreds of community members, organizations, and local leaders joined efforts through the YIMBY campaign to help make these homes a reality. YIMBY supporters shifted fear to understanding and compassion by writing letters, speaking at council meetings, engaging media, and having conversations with neighbours, coworkers, friends and family.
With strong community support, City Council unanimously supported the projects, funding was secured from all levels of government, and caring support grew. Today, these homes provide safety, stability, and belonging for people who needed them most.
This success shows what’s possible when people like you say Yes in my backyard!
Get involved with the YIMBY campaign!
Big change is possible when the will to make it happen exists. Solving the affordable housing and homelessness crisis requires bold action and sustained investment from all levels of government. With community support from people like you, ensuring everyone in our community has a place to call home is not only the right thing to do, it’s possible.
When you say ‘Yes in My Backyard’ (YIMBY), you:
- support a welcoming community where everyone can access the housing they need free of discrimination
- encourage others to show their support for safe and affordable housing that meets community needs
- help to build the community support necessary to give elected officials the courage to do the right thing.
I believe when everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home our whole community benefits. Add my name to the YIMBY Guelph-Wellington campaign, subscribe me to the Poverty Elimination Collaborative email list, and send me updates about how I can help.
Gratitude acknowledgement: The Poverty Elimination Collaborative is grateful to the following individuals and groups whose work inspired and informed our YIMBY campaign, including the HomeComing Community Choice Coalition, Joy Connelly, BC Housing and Redwood Park Communities.
Sources:
- Macdonald, David, and Ricardo Tranjan. Out-of-Control Rents: Rental Wages in Canada, 2023. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Sept. 2024. ↩︎
- Wellington-Guelph By Name Data, County of Wellington, Sep. 2025. ↩︎
- County of Wellington. Housing Services Reports & Data. Wellington County, https://www.wellington.ca/programmes-services/housing-services-supports/housing-services-reports-data. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025. ↩︎
- Pomeroy, Steve. Filling the Hole in the Bucket: Loss of Existing Affordable Rentals Massively Undermining New Affordable Supply. Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative, Feb. 2024. ↩︎