On September 24, 2026, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (the “UCPR”) hosted the first Prescott and Russell Affordable Housing Summit, an event where municipalities and regional partners could meet up and innovate together.
Coordinated by the Housing Services team within the UCPR’s Social Services Department and themed Accelerating Solutions Through Partnerships and Innovation, the Summit brought together more than 50 people in Rockland. It allowed participants to discuss the UCPR’s 2024 to 2034 Ten-Year Housing and Homelessness Action Plan, attend presentations on affordable housing, and continue their collective work to address homelessness.
“Affordable housing and access to the housing market are a priority for me, both at the UCPR Council and at the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, where I serve as Vice-Chair. Since the UCPR play a key role in the housing continuum, we must continue to address the challenges related to homelessness, the shortage of affordable housing, long waiting lists, and inadequate emergency shelters. To successfully achieve our goals, we must present a united front, and that is exactly what we accomplished at the Summit,” explained Mario Zanth, Warden of the UCPR.
“Thanks to the knowledge shared by the presenters and participants, we have a renewed sense of energy, more possible solutions, and several even more concrete actions to develop together. We wanted to accelerate our projects through collaboration and innovation at this first Summit – it was a success,” added Jennifer Lambert, Housing Plan Coordinator of the UCPR Social Services.
The Prescott and Russell Affordable Housing Summit was organized as part of the 2024 to 2034 Ten-Year Housing and Homelessness Action Plan. This plan represents a decade-long commitment to addressing the housing challenges that residents of the UCPR face daily. It also sets out a roadmap for action across the entire housing continuum – including support for the homeless and emergency shelters, transitional and supportive housing, community and co-operative housing, affordable housing, and homeownership.