New Homes and Existing Ones: Why Affordable Housing Needs Both

Across Canada, conversations about affordable housing often focus on one urgent priority: building more homes. 

New development is certainly essential when it comes to meeting the growing need in our country. Communities require additional housing options, and investment in new supply plays a critical role in addressing shortages, supporting population growth, and helping cities evolve over time. 

When new affordable housing is built, it creates opportunities for people and families who might otherwise struggle to find a stable place to live. In that sense, development is an important part of strengthening the housing system and responding to changing demographics. 

New development also lets us shape housing that meets the needs of the community, right from the ground up. For example, buildings with community spaces or specific amenities such as A/C and in-suite laundry, or increased accessibility options. 

At the same time, another equally important part of the housing system often receives less attention: the affordable homes that already exist. 

Across Canada, many non-profit and community housing buildings were constructed several decades ago, with the goal of creating long-term affordability. Today, those homes continue to provide stability for individuals, families, and seniors across our communities. 

But like anything else, housing ages. 

Roofs eventually need replacement. Mechanical systems wear out. Windows and building envelopes require renewal. Safety and accessibility standards evolve. Materials degrade. Costs rise. 

None of this is unusual. It is simply the life cycle of buildings. 

For housing providers, this creates an ongoing responsibility: ensuring that existing affordable homes remain safe, functional, and viable for the people who live in them today and for those who will live in them in the future. And this isn’t an abstract problem. According to this recent article in the Tyee, Calgary has lost 1500+ affordable housing units in the last 5 years. 

Maintaining and renewing these buildings is an essential part of protecting the affordable housing that communities already rely on. 

Preservation also plays an important role in maintaining homes at the lower-income end of the housing spectrum. Purpose-built rental housing, in particular, represents a critical piece of this landscape. 

When older rental buildings are replaced by new developments, the overall number of homes may increase, but the number of lower-cost rental options often decreases. New construction typically comes with higher development costs, and those costs must eventually be reflected in rents. 

As a result, when older purpose-built rentals disappear, communities can lose an important source of housing that was accessible to moderate- and lower-income households. 

This is why preservation matters. 

There are situations where redevelopment can be the best long-term solution — particularly when older buildings no longer meet modern needs or when rebuilding allows more homes to be created in the same space. 

Preservation does not replace the need for new development. Both are necessary. New housing expands supply, while preservation protects the homes and communities already in place. 

Together, they form a balanced approach to housing stability. 

Without reinvestment, aging affordable housing becomes harder to maintain over time. Repairs may be deferred and building systems decline. In the most difficult cases, homes can eventually be lost altogether — and with them, the stability they provided for residents. 

Reinvestment helps prevent this outcome. It allows housing providers to renew buildings, extend their lifespan, and continue offering safe, stable housing for years to come. 

At Norfolk Housing Association, long-term stewardship of existing homes is an important part of responsible housing practice. Capital planning and preventive maintenance are ongoing efforts intended to sustain both the buildings themselves and the affordability they provide. And development as part of a long-term strategy ensures that we’re ensuring community housing that will last for many decades to come. 

A mixed-income model of housing, such as the one at NHA, allows for a responsive approach to the housing need. We can protect current residents (and their rental rates) while also looking for opportunities to develop, redevelop, and preserve and maintain units. It’s a complex and often complicated approach, but the outcome is a sustainable – and even growing – number of affordable and appropriate housing options. 

Canada’s housing challenges require multiple solutions. New construction is one important piece. Preserving existing affordable homes is another. 

Both approaches have their place and form an essential part of any conversation about the housing needs of our cities and communities. 

When both are supported, communities gain not only more housing, but more stable housing, for current residents and for those still searching for a place to call home.