
The organizational effectiveness of the Centre
... or leading by example
Although new, the Centre has a heavy responsibility towards the whole world of community housing: to transform it to become more robust and resilient. We also hope to improve its management capacities and social action. In short, we want community housing to be more efficient.
The Centre, therefore, has a moral obligation to act accordingly by establishing state-of-the-art governance, management, communication and organizational practices.
In terms of governance, the Centre, like the remainder of the community housing sector, must ensure that it has quality governance that combines democratic practices, expertise and independence of mind.
The Center is fortunate to be a coalition of the leading community housing groups in Canada. We must make the most of this situation and ensure that the organization’s employees acquire a detailed knowledge of the movement’s realities, dynamism, and characteristics in all its richness and diversity. We can’t achieve that without a proactive approach. Despite the organization’s status as a funder, the Center and its employees must adopt an attitude of humility, modesty and great curiosity and interest towards those who build, animate and maintain community housing from one end of the country to the other.
Management is an area where traditional practices have been systematically challenged in recent years. Scientific advances in psychology, andragogy, and work organization have made it possible to highlight the positive effects of previously neglected human resource practices such as teamwork, flexibility, regular evaluation, and continuous training. We therefore have an obligation to act in light of this knowledge.
There is no question that motivated competent employees, who adhere to the group’s mission and are professionally fulfilled, are essential for an efficient organization, but we must not neglect the rapid development of office automation tools that multiply the potential impact of each gesture. Cloud computing, IP telephone, document management platforms, and customer relationship management (CRM) software are all tools that link our different departments and organize their notes, activities and objectives in a coherent system. Thus, everyone has simple and direct access to the real-time data they need. This not only allows unparalleled coordination between teams and departments, but also provides our partners (co-ops, NPOs and other organizations in the sector) with something extraordinary: totally personalized relationships while being fair and effective, even if they interact with several of the Centre’s points of contact.
These exchanges take the form of direct interactions (emails, telephones, meetings) and modern means of communication: website, social media, online events, development of shared tools through the information platform, etc.
In all these areas, we must adhere to the letter of the law and the spirit of the community movement. Participation, transparency, dialogue, respect, fairness and recognition must go hand in hand with rigour, discipline, technological productivity and accountability.
The Centre fully understands that it serves the community better by demonstrating, through its actions, the capacity to assume effective organizational management, which involves:
- building staff expertise and engagement through professional development and empowerment
- creating an effective and functioning governance structure
- establishing clear and effective external and internal communication
Learn about News and Awarded Projects that relate to
Effective Centre Organizational Stewardship
Racialized People and the Housing Crisis
For several years now, the housing crisis has been worsening across Canada. While this crisis affects all Canadians, we must recognize that racialized people are more severely affected. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is an...
Sector activities in April: The Centre to promote forward-looking solutions
The Centre in Edmonton The Centre will be attending the Alberta Seniors & Community Housing Association (ASCHA) conference at the Edmonton Convention Centre, April 3–5. Come visit our booth and don’t miss the sessions we will be presenting: ...
Women and Canada’s housing crisis: Challenges and solutions
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According to CMHC’s rental market report, the crisis is still growing. What role can the community housing sector play?
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Reinforcing Black Canadian communities through housing transformation
The history of Black communities housing in Canada is a story of persistent discrimination, segregation, and inequality. From Nova Scotia’s eastern shores on the coast of Africville in the early 1960s stretching across to as far west as Hogan’s Alley in British...
(BC) A promising and replicable model to stop the leak in affordable housing
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The Multigenerational Home Renovation Federal Tax Credit: What effects will it have on the housing crisis?
As part of its plan to make housing more affordable, the federal government implemented a new refundable tax credit for multigenerational home renovations on January 1, 2023. This contribution to finding a solution to the housing crisis, in particular to the housing...
An additional investment to fund the growth of community housing in Nova Scotia
The Centre salutes the decision of the government of Nova Scotia to invest an additional $2.5 million in the Community Housing Growth Fund (CHGF), doubling its initial investment. The fund, administered by the Centre, has had a significant success since it was...
Responding to the housing crisis with an innovative collaboration
Competition divides, while collaboration multiplies. This is the principle put into action by the founding members of the Alliance des corporations d’habitations abordables du territoire du Grand Montréal (ACHAT). In Montreal, 36% of households spend more than a third...

Sectoral Impact Projects
Develop new services, models or tools to help the sector build and manage affordable housing.

Local Projects
Sector Transformation Fund
Enhance the capacity of your local organization to provide affordable housing in a better way.

Community-Based Tenant Initiative
Develop projects that aim to engage tenants/co-op members in housing decisions that affect them.