Municipalities Call for Rapid Housing Solutions Amid Pandemic
As the COVID-19 pandemic compounds Canada’s ongoing housing crisis, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is proposing a federal initiative and partnership to rapidly repurpose on-sale private buildings as permanent, non-profit housing for vulnerable Canadians. FCM is proposing a federal initiative and partnership to help non-profit community housing providers rapidly acquire, renovate and retrofit two kinds of buildings.
Ottawa Community Land Trust
Land trusts provide a holistic approach to community building that is often missed in traditional development frameworks. A complementary sector response to Ottawa’s housing crisis, the land trust model will unite several smaller housing providers under one voice where expertise and skills will be shared and disseminated more quickly. The perpetual affordability of the land will allow smaller housing providers to leverage their surpluses for capital repairs, renewal, and redevelopment.
Careers at the Centre
We are looking for an experienced strategist and communicator ready to take on the Development and Communication Executive Director role.
The Center was founded by a pan-Canadian network of organizations representing and responding to the needs of the community housing sector across the country. Our mission is to mobilize, network and increase the resources that will support the viability and growth of the community housing sector. Read the job description and apply here.
Meet Tim Ross
Tim is a nationally recognized non-profit, community, and co-operative housing policy advocate, with years of leadership experience in housing and homelessness. He is the founding President of the Centre and Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. CHF Canada is a national membership association of housing co-ops, representing over one thousand members, and home to over a quarter of a million people.
Capacity Building for Success in Meeting Community Needs
Originally serving the small community of Mission, Mamele’awt Qweesome Housing provides housing and support services for people in the Fraser Valley in a way that ensures tenant safety, empowers self-determination and the honouring of robust agreements. Founded in 1987 to address housing shortages in Mission and the surrounding area, MQHS’ commitment to sustainability is notable: it currently has 244 units of affordable housing within 30 properties in their housing portfolio.
Increasing Social Inclusion and Tenant Engagement in PEI
Although not a panacea to the quandary, the Centre is happy to announce new project funding to assist community members with tenant support through the Nanegkam Housing Corporation. Its Indigenous Tenant Support Initiative (ITSI) is a step forward to empowering Indigenous tenants, arming them with the knowledge, tools, and support to stave off illegal renovictions, informing them of their rights and responsibilities, while providing life skill development assistance.
Namerind: Truth and Reconciliation in Action
In 2007 the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established to facilitate, “reconciliation among former students, their families, their communities and all Canadians.” This was the outcome of the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history—known as The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement—which sought to recognize the damage inflicted to approximately 86,000 Indigenous Peoples who were forcefully enrolled as children in residential schools.
Hiy̓ám̓ ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Housing Society Organizational Capacity
Founded in 2019, the Hiy̓ám ta Housing Society has the mandate to develop 1000 new affordable rental homes over the next 10 years for Squamish Nation people and the wider community. Given these ambitious goals, the Society is currently in the start-up phase and requires additional capacity building, team building and community engagement activities to successfully start to plan and implement its goals to develop affordable rental housing on 6 potential on-reserve sites.
Converting the Community Housing Sector: One Hotel Space at the Time
Calgary’s Elan Hotel sold for non-profit housing. Known for hospitality and exceptional quality, the building used to be a hotel and now serves Horizon Housing’s mission. As a registered charitable organization, over 700 residents live in Horizon’s 16 residences, 8 supported homes and 8 apartment buildings, in Calgary.
Local Projects
Sector Transformation Fund
Enhance the capacity of your local organisation to provide affordable housing in a better way.
Sectoral Impact Projects
Sector Transformation Fund
Develop new services, models or tools to help the sector build and manage affordable housing.
Community-Based Tenant Initiative Fund
Tenant engagement projects that aim to involve tenants in housing decisions that impact them and in defining services.
