Federal government invests in the Community Housing Sector to Increase Affordable Housing Supply

OTTAWA, ON, March 5, 2025 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why the Government of Canada is supporting the community housing sector to strengthen the performance, viability and effectiveness of affordable housing.

Today, the federal government announced that $6.4 million will be provided to 22 successful submissions for demonstration initiatives and solutions labs that are exploring how to unlock capital, pool resources, adopt new models, and secure land for the community housing sector.

Community housing providers face unique challenges when it comes to creating affordable housing and deepening or preserving affordability when compared to private sector developers. These challenges exist within financing, acquisition of land or existing affordable housing, development, construction, operation and replication. The funded solutions seek to advance the collective mission of the community housing providers sector and overcome these barriers.

The solutions from this call will support a culture of innovation by fostering partnerships, replication and scaling, as well as creating and disseminating real-world data for evidence-based decision-making.

A detailed list of all the projects that received funding through National Housing Strategy (NHS) Demonstrations Initiative and the Solutions Lab Program funding is provided in an appendix to this release.

Quotes:

"We need to double down on getting non-market housing built. With today's announce, we're working to strengthen the community housing sector in support of this goal." – The Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

Quick Facts:

• The National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10+ year, $115+ billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.
  • As of September 2024, the federal government has committed $57.57 billion to support the creation of over 156,000 units and the repair of over 297,000 units. These measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.
• The NHS Demonstrations Initiative highlights solutions that support the NHS priority areas and population groups. These solutions aim to spur awareness, knowledge and scaling of promising practices, strategies, programs, policies and technologies.
• The Solutions Lab Program provides funding and expert innovation consultants to applicants to help them solve complex and persistent affordable housing problems. Solutions are identified, co-designed with a broad set of stakeholders with the goal of creating world leading solutions that can be rapidly implemented and scaled.
  • In addition to the 22 projects being funded through the NHS Demonstrations Initiative and Solutions Labs, the federal government supports other initiatives for community housing such as Co-op Housing Development Program and Affordable Housing Fund - Community Housing sub-stream.

Additional Information:

• Visit Canada.ca/housing for the most requested Government of Canada housing information.
• CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.
• Find out more about the NHS Demonstrations Initiative and Solutions Labs.
• Those interested in learning more about innovative housing solutions and engaging with housing experts are invited to join the Expert Community on Housing (ECOH).

Associated Links:

• Making housing more affordable for Canadians
• National Housing Strategy

Backgrounder: Successful submissions: Solutions Labs Program 

Project Title	Funding Recipients (Lead) and partners	Location
AI-Powered Toolkit for Transforming Faith-based Lands into Affordable Housing	• Releven • Affordable 360 • Town of Caledon • Region of Waterloo • City of Burlington • City of Winnipeg • Anglican Diocese of Huron • Anglican Diocese of Qu'Appelle • St-Mary's Road United Church, Winnipeg • St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Waterloo • Trillium Lutheran Church, Waterloo • George Gordon First Nations • Waterloo Community Foundation • Women's Shelters Canada • The Centre for Dignified Living • Dream Legacy Foundation	Montréal, Quebec
Community Interest Company: A New Investment Model for Community Housing Solutions	• Everbloom Homes CIC (Proponent) • Enfin Impact • Community Housing Transformation Centre • NS Non-Profit Housing Association • City of St John's • Halifax Regional Municipality • Keystone Capital Group	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Factory-Built Affordable Housing	• The Keesmaat Group - Housing Innovation Institute • TCHC – Toronto Community Housing Corporation • Create TO • City of Toronto • Collecdev Markee • Housing Innovation Institute • Assembly • University of Toronto's Geography Department	Toronto, Ontario
Forward Together: Pooling Community Housing Resources for Greater Impact	• Nepean Housing Corporation • Ottawa Community Land Trust • CHF Canada • CHRA • BC Community Land trust • City of Ottawa • Multifaith Housing Initiative • Housing Managers Collective	Ottawa, Ontario
Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing	• CTlabs | The Lansdowne Consulting Group • Ottawa Community Land Trust • Pier Labs • Tapestry Community Capital • Encompass Coop • United Way Halifax • Ottawa Climate Action Fund • Ottawa Community Foundation	Ottawa, Ontario
National Community Bond for Affordable Housing	• Raising the Roof • SVX • Tapestry Community Capital	Toronto, Ontario
Preserving Chinatown's Affordable Housing	• Toronto Chinatown Land Trust • SHS Consulting	Toronto, Ontario
Scalable Partnerships Between Mid-Sized Housing Providers and Housing Developments	• Centretown Affordable Housing Development Corporation • Centretown Citizens of Ottawa Corporation (CCOC) • McDonald Brothers Construction (MBC) • Robins Appleby LLP • Soloway Wright LLP • New Dawn Enterprises • Osprey Inspiration • DORA Construction • Everbloom Homes CIC • Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) • Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association (NSNPHA)Vancity Community Foundation • Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) • Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC)	Ottawa, Ontario
Scalable Zoning Reform for Faith-based Affordable Housing	• Kehilla Residential Programme • Smart Density • BGM Strategy Group	Toronto Ontario
Scaling Up Canada's Community Housing Sector: Bundling Assets and Building Capacity	• School of Cities • Canadian Housing and Renewal Association • Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada • Community Housing Transformation Centre • BC – Community Land Trust • Ottawa Community Housing • Plancher • Cooperative Housing Federation Toronto • Aboriginal Housing Management Association • SHS Consulting	Toronto, Ontario
Streamlining the Path to Partnership with Community Housing Providers and Private Market Developers –	• York University • OMERS & Oxford Leadership Institute in Real Assets • Oxford Properties • Community Affordable Housing Solutions • Habitat for Humanity GTA • TAS Development	Toronto, Ontario
Unlocking Family Homes for Supportive Housing with Community Land Trusts	• Extend-A-Family Kingston • Developmental Services Ontario • Circle Community Land Trust • The Muskoka Community Land Trust • Ontario Agencies Supporting Individuals with Special Needs • Intentional Community Consortium • Reena	Kingston, Ontario

Backgrounder: Successful submissions: NHS Demonstrations Initiative

Project Title	Funding Recipients (Lead) and Collaborators	Project Localization
Affordable360 Association	MapYourProperty • Alberta Seniors and Community Housing Corporation (ASCHA) • Centretown Affordable Housing Development Corporation (CAHDCO) • Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC) - funding partner through the Nova Scotia Growth Fund • Nova Scotia Non Profit Housing Association (NSNPHA) • One Bowl member First Nations • Women's Shelters Canada	Alberta Ontario Nova Scotia
A Systemic Approach to Supporting Community Housing Providers	York University • Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) • YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo	Ontario
Benevolent Society Partnership	221A • Tomo Spaces • Yee Fung Toy Society of Canada	British Columbia
Canadian Housing Affordability Partnership	Social Innovation Canada	Ontario
Turning Empty Offices into Affordable Coliving	Toboggan Flats Arcade with Arcalogix • Art of Co + Co-Liv • Chandos Construction • Cushman & Wakefield • Finalyze • McCarthy Tétrault • The Mitchell Partnership Inc. • Urban Land Institute of Canada • Youthful Cities	British Columbia Ontario Manitoba
LEMR Community Housing Acquisition Tool	Canadian Centre for Housing Rights • BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) • Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC) • Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) • Purpose Analytics	Ontario
Mapping Public Lands for Affordable Housing	Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) • Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA) • BC Housing • Brightside Community Homes Foundation • British Columbia Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) • Cooperative Housing Federation of British Columbia (CHFBC) • Metro Vancouver • Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs in the Province of British Columbia	British Columbia
Partenariats d'impact en immobilier collectif (Multi-unit real estate impact partnerships)	Alliance des corporations d'habitations abordables du territoire du Québec (ACHAT) • FI3 service-conseil	Québec
Reframed Lab Case Studies and Learnings	Pembina Institute • University of Victoria ReBuild Initiative	British Columbia
Réseau bon voisinage (Good Neighbour Network)	Habitations communautaires pour ainés du Québec • Alliance des corporations d'habitations abordables du territoire du Québec (ACHAT) • Association des groupes de ressources techniques du Québec (AGRTQ) • Fonds Immosocial Québec • Groupe de ressources techniques Entraide Habitat Estrie • Partenaires collaborateurs projet de Granby • Réseau de coopération des Entreprises d'économie sociale en aide à domicile (EÉSAD)	Québec

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Media Contacts: Sofia Ouslis, Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]