New Housing Forum aims to deliver results for Canadians in housing need

OTTAWA, Oct. 9, 2014 /CNW/ - The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) is pleased to be part of a new multi-stakeholder Housing Forum announced today. The Forum will work to help improve the housing options of Canadians, especially vulnerable Canadians in housing need.

"It is encouraging to see such a diverse group come together today in our nation's capital to collaborate on such a vitally important issue as housing," said CHF Canada President Anne Davidson. "Housing co-operatives will work with the Forum to help preserve Canada's existing stock, including thousands of co-op homes for low-income people in our mixed-income co-operative communities."

Along with other members of the Forum, CHF Canada endorsed shared principles for improving Canada's housing system and encouraging the federal government to work with other orders of government and stakeholders to implement them.

"We are very pleased that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has convened such an impressive group of stakeholders concerned about the housing challenges many Canadians face," said Scott Jackson, CHF Canada's Program Manager, National Communications. "We are also grateful for FCM's leadership in addressing the 'housing crunch' faced by many low-income co-op members as federal housing agreements start to expire."

CHF Canada and regional co-op housing federations are working together on a campaign called "You Hold the Key – Fix the Co-op Housing Crunch". The campaign's immediate goal is to get the federal government to commit to providing rental assistance to low-income co-op households living in federally-funded housing co-operatives. This funding can be phased in over time, as existing agreements expire.

CHF Canada is the national voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Its members include over 900 non-profit housing co-operatives and other organizations across Canada.  More than a quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops, in every province and territory.

SOURCE: Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada

Scott Jackson, Program Manager, National Communications, 1-877-533-2667 ext 122 or 778-227-3864, [email protected]; David Granovsky, Government Relations Co-ordinator, 1-800-465-2752 or 613-290-7687 ext. 222 [email protected]