Housing Needs & Affordable Housing

Housing Needs Report

In 2020, the City of Nelson, in partnership with the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK), released its first housing needs report in response to new legislation and the changing housing landscape. Like many other Canadian communities, Nelson is grappling with escalating housing pressures and rising housing costs. 

A Housing Needs Assessment describes current and anticipated housing needs of a community using census data and consultation with the housing sector, and should be used to identify gaps in community housing supply. Under the Local Government Act, the Needs Assessment must be updated every 5 years. 

Recognizing the dynamic nature of the housing market, the availability of new data, the necessity for an updated housing report and changes to provincial legislation related to Housing Needs Reports, the City commissioned an update to the housing needs report in 2024. It serves as an update to the previous 2020 report while incorporating new analyses and data. The aim is to provide an overview of the current and expected local housing conditions and needs.

Some of the key findings of the 2024 Housing Needs Report, include:

  • the population of Nelson is growing and changing; 
  • housing costs are increasing for renters and owners;
  • housing need is significant and likely underrepresented by available data;
  • the housing market has been slow to respond to the changes in the housing environment; 
  • demand is expected to increase over the next 20 years; and
  • an estimate of 3,104 new housing units across the Housing Spectrum are required to meet anticipated demand over the next 20 years.

Both the 2020 and 2024 Housing Needs Reports are available in the related documents section.

More information about the Regional Report and the development of the assessment can be found on the Regional District of Central Kootenay website.

Greater Nelson Housing Entity Study

Concluded in May 2024, the Greater Nelson Housing Entity Study is an initiative of the City of Nelson, Community Futures Central Kootenay, and the Regional District
of Central Kootenay (RDCK). Spanning three phases, it has resulted in numerous recommendations and resources intended to improve access to non-market, affordable housing in Nelson and area.

We invite you to consult the three-page summary as well as each phase report:

Housing Committee

The City of Nelson Housing Committee was formed in 2013. The mandate of the Nelson Housing Committee is to identify housing needs and priorities; assist in finding collaborative and cost effective approaches; and provide networking opportunities for housing providers to share knowledge and identify opportunities for collaboration, cooperation and sharing of expertise. 

More information including minutes, reports, bylaws and related documents can be found on our Nelson Housing Committee page

Housing Dashboard

The City of Nelson has launched a new Housing Dashboard designed to provide a centralized, accessible, and reliable source of information about the city’s housing market. This Dashboard consolidates data from various sources to offer a picture of the current housing market, trends and progress towards key housing goals.

Housing data is gathered by different organizations and shared in a variety of formats often making it difficult to access or interpret. The Housing Dashboard addresses this by unifying the data into one place and linking it directly to the housing goals identified in Nelson’s most recent Housing Needs Assessment and Official Community Plan (OCP).

This initial version of the Housing Dashboard will be updated and evolve over time as information becomes available. Staff have started with a limited set of data to ensure reliable information is provided to the public.

To view the report to Council and the January 2026 Housing Dashboard click on the Housing Dashboard link in the related documents section of this page.