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Housing co-ops look to partner with Ontario to build affordable housing on provincial lands.

Co-op housing a proven model to building affordable housing. 

December 4, 2018 1:30 P.M

Today, the Ontario government announced a new process for selling surplus government land and identifying properties that could be used for affordable housing and long-term care.

Overall, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) supports the government’s goal of creating more affordable and long-term care for the people of Ontario by making better use of surplus government land. We look forward to learning the details of this program in the coming weeks and how the program will encourage the development of permanent affordable housing for Ontarians.

It’s imperative that a significant portion of government land is dedicated to affordable housing, including co-ops and other non-profit housing. The co-op housing sector is ready to partner with the provincial government to leverage our successful model to create new affordable that low- and middle-income Ontarians can actually afford, said Simone Swail, Government Relations Manager of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada).

Affordable housing options like co-op and non-profit housing create mixed-income communities where all Ontarians can afford a place to call home. By partnering with co-ops, the Ontario government can help spark the development of permanent affordable housing for Canadians. With no built-in profit margin, every dollar goes to keeping rents affordable for the long-term.

Consecutive studies from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) have shown that

co-op housing costs about 14% less than other affordable housing models. The co-op model also gives people a voice in creating the environment in which they live, resulting in better maintained buildings, reduced social isolation and better job outcomes.

CHF Canada’s Ontario Region is the voice of over 125,000 people living in 550 non-profit housing co-ops in communities all across Ontario.

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For more information

Simone Swail, Manager, Government Relations, CHF Canada Tel: 416.366.1711 ext. 223 | sswail@chfcanada.coop