
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
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.
Coming Home: Squamish Nation to build affordable housing on reserve land
The Hiy̓ám̓ ta Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Housing Society, founded by the Squamish Nation Council, has an ambitious goal of providing every member of their community with affordable and culturally appropriate housing. A first project will be launched shortly, and others are already in preparation.
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
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.
Toronto group seeks insight from tales of the street
Journeys to Home is a research-action and advocacy project whose foundation is the personal stories of Torontonians touched by housing precarity.
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...
Environment-friendly project ideas eligible for the Centre’s funding
The construction and operation of buildings is responsible for a large part of global carbon emissions. Ever wondered how you can do your part to make housing greener? Here are a few ideas—that could also benefit from a grant from the Centre—to get you started.
Editorial: Double your investment in the community housing sector: become a project reviewer!
If you are familiar with the housing sector, your region and/or our priority areas—especially sustainability and tenant involvement—why not become a reviewer for the Centre? You can contribute to and even help transform the community-housing sector. Isabelle Richard shares her thoughts on her role as a project reviewer for the Centre.
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.

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.