Why aim for 20% community housing in Canada?
Canada is facing an unprecedented housing crisis, and finding sustainable solutions is urgent. Setting a target of 20% community housing (up from 3.5% currently) is a necessary step to ensure equitable housing access and greater community resilience. It’s a long-term vision rooted in sustainability, inclusion, and collective action.
Transforming how we build and collaborate
Achieving this target means reimagining the ways we plan, finance, and work together. It calls for hybrid models and bold partnerships that align mission and means.
It also requires the sector unlocks its economic potential with new financial approaches from reinvesting property equity to building mixed-income projects that balance affordability with long-term viability.
Shifting mindsets
Transforming the sector requires a shift in how we think, collaborate, and innovate. It means embracing a culture that is more open to experimentation and new operational models, while remaining true to the core values that define community housing: social justice, solidarity, and democratic governance.
For this cultural evolution to take root and endure, it must be grounded in a sector that is skilled, well-structured, and representative. By investing in professional capacity building, the Centre aims to strengthen sector expertise, standardize practices, and recognize knowledge drawn from on-the-ground experience. By promoting more diverse leadership, it creates space for a broader range of voices and lived experiences that truly reflect the communities being served. These strategic choices equip the sector to face transformation with greater confidence, coherence, and legitimacy.
Joining forces for success
Success lies in collaboration between government, community, philanthropy, and private capital. Strategic partnerships are key to unlocking resources, enabling large-scale coordinated action, streamlining processes and fostering innovation.
A realistic ambition
The 20% target is ambitious, but it is within reach. With courage, boldness and shared purpose, we can build a future where community housing is not the exception, but a central pillar of Canada’s housing system.
News on the 20% target
The crossroads: Not a choice. A plan.
Homelessness is no longer on the margins. It’s in every city, town, and rural region. Tent encampments. Overflowing shelters. Waitlists that stretch endlessly. Many community housing organizations feel helpless, unsupported, […]
A pilot project to expand community housing in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI), known for its picturesque landscapes and rich cultural heritage, is now making strides with a pilot project aimed at expanding community housing. The province, in partnership […]
Canadians want to know more about community housing
A recent national survey conducted by Abacus Data for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada reveals a powerful insight: Canadians are not only open to community housing, they want more […]
Building a stronger future for community housing in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan’s community housing sector is facing an aging housing stock, limited funding, and a shortage of skilled workers. Compared to many other provinces, unfortunately it remains underdeveloped and fragmented, limiting […]