Housing stability means everyone has safe, appropriate, affordable housing and housing supports. It is the foundation for thriving communities.

The London and Middlesex Housing Stability Action Plan (2026-2031) is a shared roadmap that guides how the City of London and Middlesex County work together to prevent homelessness, improve access to safe and affordable housing, and provide the supports people need to stay housed.

The Plan responds to growing pressures across London and Middlesex County, including population growth, low vacancy rates, rising rents, increasing complexity of need, and gaps in social and health supports. It focuses on strengthening coordination across housing, health and social services while supporting a more connected and effective housing stability system.

Three strategic areas guide this Plan:

• Respond to the homelessness crisis by strengthening prevention and diversion, improving service access, supporting stronger pathways to housing, and improving coordination and access to health and wraparound supports.
• Create more housing stock by supporting a broader range of housing options, including affordable, supportive and mixed housing, while protecting existing affordable housing stock.
• Provide housing supports by improving access to housing information, coordinated services, and the supports individuals and families need to secure and maintain housing.

While the City of London and Middlesex County play a key leadership role in developing a sustainable and integrated housing stability system, this work cannot be done in isolation. The Plan calls on all sectors, services, governments, and residents to help address individuals' and families' evolving and complex housing needs.

The Plan also recognizes that addressing Indigenous homelessness requires Indigenous-led approaches and continued support for Indigenous leadership, services and partnerships.

What happens next

The Plan was endorsed by London City Council and Middlesex County Council in May 2026 and will now be submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval.

The next phase of work is the development of a detailed implementation plan. This will identify priorities, timelines, responsibilities and progress reporting, and will guide how the Plan moves into coordinated action over time.

Progress will be tracked and shared through regular updates.

How the Plan was developed

The Plan was developed using a combination of local data and trend analysis, review of best practices, alignment with existing strategies, and community engagement.

More than 500 people participated in the engagement process, including residents, local service providers, local businesses, organizations supporting equity-denied groups, individuals with lived and living experience of homelessness, and elected officials.

Input was gathered through a range of methods, including community surveys, open houses, consultation sessions, community conversation toolkits, and outreach through organizations serving individuals with lived and living experience of homelessness.

Community input helped validate and refine the Plan’s strategic areas of focus, proposed actions, and overall direction.

Background

Under the Housing Services Act, 2011, Service Managers are required to review their housing stability plans every five years. The City of London is the Service Manager for both London and Middlesex County.

The London and Middlesex Housing Stability Action Plan (2026-2031) brings together the City of London Housing Stability Action Plan (2019–2024) and the Middlesex County Homeless Prevention and Housing Plan (2019–2024) into one shared framework for both communities, while preserving distinct local actions for London and Middlesex County.

The Plan aligns with related plans and strategies already guiding this work, including the City of London’s Strategic Plan, the Whole of Community System Response, the Hubs Implementation Plan, the Highly Supportive Housing Plan, Ontario’s Homeless Prevention Program, the Government of Canada’s National Housing Strategy, and Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.