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CHF Canada welcomes Ontario’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy

April 17, 2019, Toronto – The Co‐operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) welcomes the Province’s new Community Housing Renewal Strategy to improve Ontario’s affordable housing system. We look forward to working with the government to find solutions to a number of questions raised.

“Community housing is an essential part of Ontario’s housing supply. It’s home to a quarter million households across the province, and we know there is need for much more. Ontario’s housing co-ops are very pleased to see the announcement of the Community Housing Renewal Strategy that is tasked with stabilizing and growing the community housing sector. Getting this right, starting with RGI simplification, would be a win-win for everyone, households, housing providers and government included. Co-ops look forward to working with the Province on the development of the strategy and on building a better future for Ontario,” said Harvey Cooper, Deputy Executive Director of CHF Canada.

CHF Canada Ontario Region is the provincial association for the 550 non‐profit housing co‐operatives in Ontario, home to approximately 125,000 people. For over 50 years, housing co‐ops have provided good quality, community‐based affordable housing in Ontario.

While Ontario’s housing co-ops have provided the province and our members with vibrant, affordable mixed-income communities, there is a clear need to change the system so that these communities can continue to provide quality housing options and better meet the growing need for affordable housing in Ontario.

CHF Canada is pleased to see that the strategy will offer incentives to community housing providers, and will reduce administrative burdens by simplifying the rent-geared-to-income system.

The Province will also need to protect the long-term viability of existing provincial housing providers as their mortgages come to an end. When their mortgages end, non-profits and co-ops must reinvest in their aging buildings to keep them in good working order. But, a problem with the funding formula could force half of Ontario’s co-ops to pass on all of their mortgage savings to the municipality by clawing back the funding they receive to pay for rent subsidies for low-income households. This will threaten the viability of the entire co-op. By fixing the funding formula, the Province can help ensure these affordable co-op homes remain in a state of good repair, and help co-ops meet the housing needs of future generations.

 

For more information

Harvey Cooper, Deputy Executive Director, CHF Canada | 416.809.5048 | hcooper@chfcanada.coop

Simone Swail, Manager, Government Relations, CHF Canada | 416.605.4432 | sswail@chfcanada.coop