MHTF 2.0 - Community Update October 2025

We are excited to share another update on the progress being made by the Muskoka Housing Task Force 2.0 as we continue our work to support the creation and maintenance of affordable and attainable housing in Muskoka.


New Tools to Support Housing Conversations

Understanding housing needs in Muskoka starts with understanding the language. The Task Force is proud to share two new resources to help everyone get on the same page when we’re talking about housing:

1. Muskoka’s Housing Landscape Graphic
This new visual replaces the old “housing continuum” graphic and offers a clear, plain-language snapshot of the many types of housing situations in our community.

You can view the graphic in full at the following link: Muskoka's Housing Landscape Graphic


2. Muskoka Housing Dictionary: Developed using feedback from Task Force members, this resource defines key terms like affordable housing, attainable housing, and more! Muskoka Housing Dictionary

These tools are part of our “Housing for Everyone” commitment and will support ongoing outreach and education efforts.


Strengthening Local Solutions

Throughout 2024 and the first half of 2025, the Task Force welcomed guest speakers, shared insights, and helped shape policies and programs that build housing capacity across Muskoka.

We’ve:

  • Explored the impacts of homelessness, rising rental costs, and housing instability in local communities

  • Updated our Terms of Reference and refined how we select speakers and organize meetings to ensure our actions align with our long-term goal

  • Received and actively engaged with presentations from a wide range of invited guests and stakeholders, providing educational and inspirational insights on housing barriers and innovative solutions.

More recently, we’ve formed three working groups aligned with the District’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan objectives to put our collective knowledge, experience, and learning into action to advance work in the areas of optimizing assets, increasing attainable housing, and addressing homelessness.


Building Connections: Fall 2024 Housing Swap and Talk

In November 2024, the Task Force hosted an Affordable/Attainable Housing Service Swap and Talk, an event designed to connect organizations facing housing barriers with those offering practical solutions.

More than 70 participants attended, forming new connections and sparking ideas to help move local housing projects forward. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many attendees expressing interest in similar events in the future.


How You Can Support Housing for Everyone

No matter who you are, whether you're a local business owner, healthcare worker, student, or long-time resident of Muskoka, the housing issue impacts us all. A Housing for Everyone mindset encourages all of us to embrace housing solutions that benefit our community as a whole.

Everyone has a role to play in supporting housing in Muskoka. Here are a few simple ways you can help:

  • Stay informed. Learn about the different types of housing needed in Muskoka and the people who need them, from seniors to seasonal workers to families just starting out. View the Housing Landscape in Muskoka graphic to get started: Muskoka's Housing Landscape Graphic

  • Speak up in support. When new housing is proposed in your neighbourhood, your voice can make a real difference. Share your support publicly and with your neighbours to show that welcoming new homes and new neighbours strengthens our community.

  • Think long-term. Today’s housing investments shape the future of Muskoka, not just for new residents, but for your own family, neighbours, and friends.

  • Ask thoughtful questions. It's okay to have concerns about development, just make sure they’re grounded in facts, not fear or misconceptions. Being pro-housing doesn’t mean ignoring real concerns. A Housing for Everyone mentality seeks to balance community growth with preservation. Concerns are natural and our goal is to promote conversation and provide education to address them constructively.

  • Join the conversation. Talk to others about why housing matters and how diverse housing options strengthen communities.


Want to Learn More and Start Taking Action?

Join us at our upcoming event – Housing First: It Takes a Village for a morning of learning and connection to talk about homelessness and help us reduce stigma, support solutions, and work toward Housing For Everyone. This event is open to all who are interested in learning about homelessness in Muskoka.


Date: November 22, 2025 (National Housing Day)

Time: 7:30am: Doors Open | 8am - 11am: Formal Agenda | 11am - 12pm: Optional Networking

Where: Gravenhurst Centennial Centre, Terry Fox Room, 101 Centennial Drive


For more information about the event click here: www.engagemuskoka.ca/muskoka-housing-task-force

To register for the event, click here: https://online-forms.muskoka.on.ca/Housing/Muskoka-Housing-Task-Force/Housing-First-Event-Registration


What’s Next

The Muskoka Housing Task Force continues to meet regularly, and working groups will continue to refine their areas of focus and goals. The next MHTF 2.0 meeting is scheduled for November 11, 2025.

Stay connected, share this update with your networks, and if you haven’t already, subscribe to the MHTF 2.0 Engage Muskoka Page for future news and engagement opportunities.


The Muskoka Housing Task Force 2.0

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