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

Parkdale rooming house tenants are not alone in battle to save their homes

Parkdale rooming house tenants are not alone in battle to save their homes

In Toronto’s South Parkdale district, rooming houses are key to providing affordable housing for many in the multicultural working-class district. In the face of concerted pressure from developers looking to earn higher profits by converting these units into larger apartments, the Parkdale Rooming House Eviction Prevention Project is aimed at informing existing tenants of their rights and helping them contest evictions.

Eight seasons in the life of a co-op

Eight seasons in the life of a co-op

In Gatineau, the Coopérative d’habitation St-Louis brings together people of diverse origins and backgrounds who help each other and cooperate to meet the challenges of this way of life. In the documentary La coop de ma mère, director Ève Lamont presents the stories and the daily lives of a core group of these people—including her mother. The film is an honest testament to the importance and impact of this type of community housing on its participants.

Housing unaffordability is costly for workers… and cities

Housing unaffordability is costly for workers… and cities

Cities need a core of essential workers who typically earn less-than-average wages, but what happens when these workers can’t afford to live in the very cities they serve? A study by WoodGreen Community Services and the Toronto Region Board of Trade took a deep look at the problem and offered some ways forward.

Marginal or marginalized? Giving a voice to the street

Marginal or marginalized? Giving a voice to the street

For as long as cities have been subject to international competition and entrepreneurial imperatives, the presence of people who are homeless or marginalized is often seen as an irritant and the co-existence of the housed and unhoused is a source of tension. UQÀM...

New housing model to help people with mental-health challenges

New housing model to help people with mental-health challenges

It’s hard enough to find affordable housing when you blend in, but for people living with mental health issues, the struggle can be overwhelming. The National Affordable Housing Corporation is hoping that its Aspen Heights project will become an inspirational model for supportive housing.

Awarded Grants

Discover Projects that Transform the Community Housing Sector

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.

Become a Volunteer Project Reviewer

Join the Wave of Transforming Community Housing Practices

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