CivicAction Playbook delivers a practical framework to unlock housing delivery for middle-income workers in challenging market conditions
March 24, 2026, Toronto, ON – The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area is producing fewer than 5,000 affordable workforce housing units each year, far shorter of the roughly 15,000 needed to meet demand, according to a new CivicAction Playbook released today.
The Workforce Housing Affordability Playbook for Action says the gap is due not to a lack of funding, but of how projects are structured, financed, and delivered. Many developments fail to move forward because land, capital, approvals, and partnership arrangements are not aligned early enough to make projects viable under real market conditions.
Teachers, healthcare workers, tradespeople, childcare providers, and service workers form the backbone of the region’s economy yet are increasingly priced out of suitable housing near the communities they serve, placing growing strain on public services, businesses, and communities.
“We have the land, the capital, and the expertise,” said Surranna Sandy, CEO of CivicAction. “What has been missing is a way to deal with the reality that our housing delivery system was not built for partnerships. This Playbook shows how governments, employers, investors, and community organizations can work together to deliver housing that fits the needs of the people who keep our region running.”
Building on data and the voices of over 350 cross-sector leaders, the Playbook provides a practical framework to align partners, reduce risk, and structure housing projects, making it possible to deliver housing that works for the workforce even in challenging market conditions.
By demonstrating flexible, shared models for collaboration, the Playbook highlights the role of all partners needed in housing delivery today, including employers, governments, Indigenous partners, and lenders, and community groups.
“We need to think about housing as part of building a healthy community,” said Karli Farrow, President & CEO, Trillium Health Partners. “Hospitals, governments, developers, and non-profits each bring something different — land, knowledge, trust, or financing. When those contributions are aligned, we can create projects that support workers, patients, and the broader community. That kind of coalition leadership is essential to solving workforce housing.”
Research shows that investments in workforce housing generate significant health, social, and economic returns, including reduced pressure on public services, greater well-being, and stronger regional productivity.
“Housing stability is essential and critical to a strong health care system. You can’t build a stronger system without supporting the care workers at its core,” said Tazim Virani, Senior Vice President, Social Impact & Global Initiatives at SE Health, one of Canada’s leading non-profit home and community health organizations. “We at SE Health are focused on supporting housing affordability for our staff. By championing and partnering to advance housing initiatives, we’re helping ensure caregivers can live and work in the communities that depend on them.”
The Playbook is designed as a practical resource to advance workforce housing in the GTHA, helping partners identify opportunities, test feasibility, and structure collaborations that make housing viable under real market conditions. CivicAction is working with partners across sectors to bring this Playbook to life and spark systemic change. It is intended to be used by government, employers, developers, lenders, and community organizations working to deliver workforce housing.
The Playbook builds on CivicAction’s Mission: Affordable initiative, which convenes leaders from across sectors to advance solutions to the region’s housing challenges. It is the fourth “Call-to-Action” release in CivicAction’s series on workforce housing solutions developed through its TD Housing Affordability Leader-in-Residence Program, generously supported by TD Bank Group.
Links:
- Fourth report: Workforce Housing Playbook
Media Contact:
Direct all media inquiries and interview requests with CivicAction and housing experts to media@civicaction.ca.
About CivicAction
CivicAction is a catalyst for positive change, turning collaboration into action to build livable, inclusive cities in the GTHA. We support programs that open doors for emerging and underrepresented leaders. Mission: Affordable is CivicAction’s campaign mobilizing collective action to fix the region’s workforce housing crisis.
Learn more at MissionAffordable.ca.
