(November 5, 2026) – The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) welcomes Budget 2026’s long-term commitment to non-market housing.

Today’s budget outlined the federal government’s plan to triple non-market housing starts and end homelessness in the next 10 years.

By making this commitment, the federal government is recognizing housing as core economic infrastructure and creating an important opportunity to build the non-market community housing that Canadians need.

As we set out to build a stronger, more independent, and more resilient economy, non-profit, public, co-operative, and Indigenous housing are central to that plan. Investments in non-market community housing also deliver strong economic returns.

A 2023 Deloitte report commissioned by CHRA found that expanding community housing supply would raise economic productivity by 6% to 9%, adding $67 billion to $136 billion to GDP. More recent report from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis, found that every dollar invested in public housing returns nearly three dollars in social and economic benefits.

To accomplish this goal, Budget 2026 includes $32 billion in new investments through Build Canada Homes over the next decade, bringing total investments in the new crown corporation to $45 billion. $11 billion of this capital will be dedicated specifically to building new supportive and transitional housing.

To meet the scale of the need, Build Canada Homes must focus on delivering housing that the private market will not build: affordable non-market housing operated by non-profits, co-operatives, community land trusts, Indigenous housing providers, and public housing corporations.

CHRA looks forward to working with the government to make that happen.

Budget 2026 also supports those who need it most, including $6.5 billion for Reaching Home and the Veterans Homelessness Program over an additional 10 years, and $5.6 billion to renew the Canada Housing Benefit. Investments such as these are important investments to ensure that everyone can access or maintain housing that suits their needs through proven community-based solutions.

However, CHRA is concerned that Budget 2026 makes no specific mention of urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing.

Approximately 80% of Indigenous people in Canada live in urban, rural, and northern communities, and more than 171,000 First Nations people living off reserve in these areas are in core housing need.

The government must deliver a clear plan, grounded in a for-Indigenous, by-Indigenous, distinctions-inclusive approach, with dedicated, stable, multi-year funding.

To achieve the federal government’s goal of tripling non-market community housing starts, we must adopt a systems approach. That means investing not only in units, one building at-a-time, but investing in a strong system that builds non-market housing at scale: capacity building for organizations, pre-development funding to get projects off the ground, and long-term funding and financing timelines that give the sector the stability to plan ahead. CHRA welcomes the 10-year timelines on several budget commitments.

Federal Budget 2026 sets a clear direction as the government works to renew the National Housing Strategy in 2027. We look forward to working with the federal government as they do this work to address the remaining key gaps, including funding and financing for renewal and repair, pre-development funding to get new projects of the ground and renewed federal, provincial and territorial agreements that are critically important to the non-market community housing sector.

“Today’s reinvestment is a welcome signal that the government understands non-market housing is part of building a stronger economy,” said Ray Sullivan, Executive Director of CHRA. “Our members have the expertise and the projects ready to go. We aren’t going to solve this challenge one home at a time – we need to invest in a system that creates affordable non-market housing, including an Indigenous-led plan for Indigenous housing.”

“Housing that people can afford gives workers, families, and communities a foundation for greater stability and offers the ability to weather economic shocks,” said Shaun Simms, CHRA Board President. “As Canada invests in growth for the future, every dollar invested in community housing goes back into the day-to-day needs people count on - keeping rents affordable, building new homes, and preserving existing homes. This delivers lasting public value and contributes to a more resilient Canada. Budget 2026 is a positive step, and we are ready to build on that momentum.”

About CHRA
CHRA is the national voice of the community housing sector in Canada. Collectively, our members house, shelter, and support hundreds of thousands of people across the country and see the impacts of the ongoing crisis firsthand. CHRA draws on the practical, on-the-ground expertise of our members and works to bring those perspectives to Ottawa.

For more information, contact:

Kenneth Milner

Director, Policy & Government Relations

kenneth@chra-achru.ca

613-899-7050