METRO Vancouver, through Metro Vancouver Housing, has finalized a plan to create thousands of new non-market rental homes over the next decade, a move that is key in responding to the region’s persistent affordable rental housing shortfall.
“The region has diverse and growing affordable housing needs, and Metro Vancouver Housing is doing an exceptional job of helping to fill those gaps,” said Mike Hurley, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Boards of Directors, on Monday. “This updated long-range plan prepares us for growth, resilience, and continued excellence while responding to significant changes in the political and economic environment.”
Metro Vancouver Housing is one of BC’s largest non-profit housing providers with 49 active sites across the region, offering over 3,400 non-market rentals to nearly 10,000 residents. For over 50 years it has developed, maintained, and operated high-quality homes for families, seniors, and people with disabilities while fostering inclusive, healthy communities through amenities and tenant programs.
The previous Metro Vancouver Housing 10-Year Plan was adopted in 2019. Since then, construction or redevelopment of about 2,000 units has been started or completed across 11 sites. This includes a combined 172 new homes completed at Heather Place in Vancouver and Kingston Gardens in Surrey that welcomed their first residents in 2025. Across the region, a further four projects are under construction, five are in the design or approvals phases, and 12 major building renewal projects are underway.
While Metro Vancouver Housing is reaching its goals faster than anticipated, the political, planning, and funding landscapes have shifted, requiring an updated approach. Enter a new 10-year plan that sets the path forward to provide, preserve, and expand non-market rental housing across the region.
“It’s no secret that I’m super proud of the work Metro Vancouver Housing is doing — as one of the province’s largest rental housing providers, we do so much good in the community and want to shout it from the rooftops,” said Dan Ruimy, Chair of Metro Vancouver’s Housing Committee. “I’ve seen firsthand the difference our efforts make in the lives of thousands of people, and this refreshed 10-year plan lays out an ambitious, yet financially sound and achievable, path to providing even more excellent housing for residents across the region.”
In 2025, theMetro Vancouver Affordable Housing Gap Analysis showed a need for 29,250 to 54,500 affordable rental units for low- to moderate-income households over the next five years.
The new plan sets the goal of adding at least 2,000 new and redeveloped homes over 10 years (growing the portfolio by about 50 per cent) and establishes targets for unit sizes and types that prioritize family-sized units, affordability levels, accessibility, and climate performance.
Metro Vancouver Housing will invest at least $150 million over the next decade to support renewal and expansion plans, using operating surpluses and a modest $5-per-household annual tax requisition. Metro Vancouver Housing’s investment will be leveraged through partnerships with the federal and provincial governments and municipalities.
Read the full Metro Vancouver Housing 10-Year Plan and learn about the vision here: metrovancouver.org/services/
