On April 16, 2019, Bill 18 - 2018 came into effect, which amended the Local Government Act (LGA) to require all local governments in B.C. to complete Housing Needs Reports by April 2022, and every five years thereafter.

The RDOS and it’s project partners included all of the RDOS's Electoral Areas ('A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', and 'I') as well as the City of Penticton, District of Summerland, and Village of Keremeos. This collaborative project provided significant value and savings for tax payers, through the development of a unified and integrated project that involves multiple planning areas and jurisdictions. The project partners applied for and received a joint provincial grant, which covered 100% of the costs of the Housing Needs Assessment Report.

On June 18, 2020, the RDOS awarded a contract to EcoPlan to undertake the project, which involved collecting and analyzing approximately fifty distinct kinds of data related to current and projected population, household income, significant economic sectors, as well as currently available and anticipated housing units for nine electoral areas and the region’s municipalities. Available datasets were utilized to complete the report, in addition to engagement with community organizations to provide a more complete picture of housing needs in our region.

In March and April, 2021, the final 2021 Housing Needs Assessment Report was presented to and formally received by the City of Penticton, District of Summerland, and Village of Keremeos Councils, as well as the RDOS Board of Directors. The Housing Needs Assessment will be an important supporting document for reviewing and updating the South Okanagan Regional Growth Strategy and during upcoming Official Community Plan reviews, as well as a key source of information for stakeholders, developers, First Nations and others involved in providing housing in the region.