Logo - CHF Canada

Community housing partnership to lead new National Housing Strategy initiative

Published April 10, 2019

Tim Ross, Executive Director of CHF Canada, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, and Jeff Morrison of CHRA

A partnership of housing organizations announced today that CMHC has selected its proposal to create a Community Housing Transformation Centre supporting innovation, capacity building and long-term sustainability of community housing.

This National Housing Strategy initiative will invest $68.6 million over nine years into programs, grants and resources. It will also support co-op members and community housing residents by funding grants designed to improve housing outcomes.  Housing co-ops and co-op housing federations will be among those eligible to apply for these grants

CHF Canada played a leading role in organizing and negotiating this proposal in collaboration with a diverse group of housing organizations across Canada. The partners include CHF Canada, CHF BC, the Agency for Co-operative Housing, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, the Ontario Non Profit Housing Association, the BC Non Profit Housing Association, the Housing Services Corporation, the Confédération québécoise des coopératives d’habitation and the Réseau québécois des OSBL d’habitation.

“Canada’s housing co-ops and sector organizations are proud to be involved in this important initiative,” said CHF Canada Executive Director Tim Ross. “As housing need becomes more pressing by the day, we are ready to engage with government and other organizations to ensure resources are best deployed to make co-op housing and other forms of community housing more resilient.”

“This is great news for our members and for the community housing sector.” said CHF Canada President Frank Wheeler.  “I congratulate our sector leaders who worked extremely hard to make this initiative happen. I also thank CMHC and Minister Jean-Yves Duclos for recognizing the value of the community housing sector as valuable partners in support of the National Housing Strategy.”

CHF Canada is also calling on the federal government to announce and implement the second phase of the Federal Community Housing Initiative. This program is expected to protect over 20,000 co-op households who rely on federal assistance to keep their homes affordable in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Prince Edward Island. Program certainty is required to provide security and peace of mind to co-op members across the country.

For more information, please see CMHC’s announcement.


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