Regional Housing Needs Assessment

2024 Regional Housing Needs Report

The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) and its partner communities – Kaslo, Salmo, Nakusp, Silverton, and Slocan – are updating the Regional Housing Needs Report, which was originally completed in 2020.

The first legislative requirements for housing needs reports were established in 2019, and required local governments to collect data, analyze trends and present reports that describe current and anticipated housing needs. RDCK and its partner communities at that time – Creston, Kaslo, Nakusp, Nelson, New Denver, Salmo, Silverton, and Slocan – completed a Housing Needs Assessment in September 2020.

In June 2024, the Province updated legislative requirements for Housing Needs Reports. All local governments are required to complete an ‘interim’ Housing Needs Report that includes new information on the updated requirements. Following the completion of the interim Report, all local governments must complete ‘regular’ Housing Needs Reports in 2028 and every 5 years thereafter.

To meet these new requirements, the RDCK Electoral Areas and its current partner communities are completing a Housing Needs Report Update. This update will contain all information required by legislation and should remain relevant until the next release of Census data, projected for 2027 or 2028.

The RDCK Regional Summary Report, Village Reports (Kaslo, Salmo, Nakusp, Silverton and Slocan), and Electoral Area Summary Report will be completed by January 1, 2025, and published to the RDCK website for the public to view.

What is a Housing Needs Assessment?

A Housing Needs Assessment is a report that describes current and anticipated housing needs in a community by collecting data, analyzing trends and speaking with community members. Local Governments are required to develop a Housing Needs Report every five years to better inform and understand the kind of housing most needed in their communities by identifying existing and projected gaps in housing supply.

All housing needs reports were initially required to contain the following, based on an analysis of the information collected:

  • Statements about key areas of local need, including: affordable housing, rental housing, special needs housing, seniors housing, family housing, and shelters and housing for people at risk of homelessness
  • The number of housing units required to meet current and anticipated housing needs for at least the next five years, by housing type. Housing ‘type’ is defined as dwelling size (number of bedrooms)
  • The number and percentage of households in core housing need and extreme core housing need

As of June 2024, the Interim Housing Needs Reports, and all future Housing Needs Reports, are required to include three new pieces of information:

  • The number of housing units needed currently and over the next 5 and 20 years;
  • A statement about the need for housing in close proximity to transportation infrastructure that supports walking, bicycling, public transit or other alternative forms of transportation; and,
  • A description of the actions taken my local government, since receiving the most recent housing needs report, to reduce housing needs.

For more information visit: Housing Needs Reports 

2020 Regional Housing Needs Assessment

The Regional District of Central Kootenay and its partner communities – Creston, Kaslo, Nakusp, Nelson, New Denver, Salmo, Silverton, and Slocan – completed a Housing Needs Assessment in September 2020. Final reports for the 2020 assessment are linked below:

Regional

Greater Creston & East Shore Kootenay Lake

North Kootenay Lake

Greater Nelson & West Arm Kootenay Lake

 Salmo River Valley

Slocan Valley

Greater Castlegar & Kootenay Columbia Rivers

Arrow Lakes

 

The content on this page was last updated September 3 2024 at 5:28 AM