The CHRA Awards honour the leaders and innovators of the community housing and homelessness sector, highlighting the exceptional people and programs that go above and beyond to ensure a safe and affordable home for all.

We were proud to honour the 2026 CHRA Award recipients at our Congress in St. John’s. Read on to learn more about and to hear from this year’s award winners.

Leadership: Craig Jones, Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART)

Dr. Jones has more than a decade of experience in housing research and advocacy. He was the inaugural Associate Director of the Housing Research Collaborative and is currently Associate Director of the Housing Assessment Resource Tools project, also known as HART; an award-winning research group that builds data-driven tools that help all levels of government and non-profits understand housing needs and develop policy solutions.

Of receiving the 2026 CHRA Leadership Award, Craig told us, “This recognition has reached across my professional network, and the award has enhanced the reputation of HART.”

“There are so many fantastic leaders in the sector and they all deserve to be recognized, Craig says. “I was thrilled to hear that I had been nominated and was even being considered. To actually win this award was unbelievable. It’s great to know that the work we’ve been doing to support the sector is recognized, appreciated and most importantly, that it’s useful. More people should know that what they’re doing is valued by their peers”.

What’s new at HART? “We just launched the BC Public Lands Map, which identifies all of the vacant and underutilized, publicly-owned land in BC, and provides high-level evaluations of each parcel’s potential for non-market housing development. We’re continuing to refine and add features, and we’re really excited about the potential to expand this work to other provinces and territories”.

Learn more about Craig’s career and impact on the sector.

Indigenous Cultural Sustainability: Silver Sage Housing Corporation for Horse Dance Lodge – misatimosimôwin mîhkowâp

Silver Sage Housing has been providing and promoting high-quality social housing for First Nations people living in the Regina area since 1983. Silver Sage integrates culture through its Circle of Housing, an Indigenous-designed model that shapes everything from project planning to tenant supports. At Horse Dance Lodge, this approach is visible in both the architecture and the daily experience of residents. Indigenous languages, symbols, and artwork are present throughout the building.

“Receiving this award has meant a great deal to Silver Sage”, says Natoshia Bastien, Silver Sage President and CEO. “There are not always many opportunities for Indigenous housing providers, developers, and property managers to have their work recognized nationally. Providing housing can be challenging and, at times, thankless work, so this recognition is especially meaningful. It honours the dedication of our staff, Board, partners, and communities, who work together to provide safe, affordable, and culturally appropriate housing for Indigenous people”.

“Award programs like this shine a light on the important and innovative work being done by non-profit and community housing organizations across the country, Natoshia tells us. “They create opportunities to celebrate success, share promising practices, and inspire others in the sector. Nominating an organization or individual is also an important way to recognize the people whose commitment and contributions often happen quietly, behind the scenes”.

What’s next for Silver Sage? “We are excited to build on the success of Horse Dance Lodge by creating a new Youth Empowerment Community”, Natoshia says. “The development will provide affordable housing for students and young working adults between the ages of 18 and 26.

“Our vision is to create more than housing—it will be a supportive community where young Indigenous people can live, learn, work, and build a strong foundation for their futures”.

Learn more about Horse Dance Lodge.

Outstanding Development: UWCRC 2.0 for Solara Flats

UWCRC 2.0 Inc. is a not-for-profit developer and housing provider committed to advancing inclusive, community-driven development in Winnipeg’s urban core and beyond.

Solara Flats is a socially inclusive mixed-income, mixed-use 21-storey high-rise tower in the heart of downtown Winnipeg located just steps from a wide range of community amenities.

“Receiving this award is a meaningful recognition of what UWCRC 2.0 is working to achieve”, says Jeremy Read, CEO of UWCRC 2.0 and University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation. “It validates our belief that community renewal is about more than bricks and mortar—it is about creating safe, affordable, welcoming places where people can live, work, build connections and thrive.

“For our team, the award is also a recognition of the partnerships and collaboration that make this work possible”, Jeremy tells us. “UWCRC 2.0 is proud to bring together housing, community development, economic opportunity, social impact, and sustainability. The CHRA award recognizes and reinforces the importance of taking an innovative, community-focused approach to revitalization”.

Jeremy says that Award programs like CHRA’s “give organizations an opportunity to learn from one another, demonstrate what is possible when we think differently about housing and community development, provide an opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished, recognize the contributions of staff and partners, and share successes with a broader audience. For organizations like UWCRC 2.0, being recognized also helps build momentum and demonstrates that community-focused approaches to housing and renewal can have a meaningful and lasting impact”.

Jeremy tells us that UWCRC 2.0 is excited by the prospect of contributing to social inclusion and cohesion in downtown Winnipeg with its development and that they are “encouraged by the increasing focus on adaptive reuse, energy efficiency and innovative partnerships to create housing more quickly and sustainably”.

Learn more about Solara Flats.

Outstanding Programs and Initiatives: Pacifica Housing Advisory Association for Community Connections

Pacifica Housing is one of Vancouver Island’s largest non-profit providers of affordable homes and supportive services, currently delivering more than 1500 affordable homes in Greater Victoria and Nanaimo.

The Community Connections Program is a client-centred eviction- and homeless-prevention initiative that supports vulnerable residents living in Pacifica’s 33 mixed-income non-profit rental buildings.

“Receiving this award is wonderful recognition of all the hard work and dedication our staff put into solutions-focused approaches,” Pacifica’s Chief Executive Officer Carolina Ibarra tells us. “While recognition is not why they do this work, it is hard work and it is important to be able to celebrate it with peers”.

“The awards serve as recognition of programs that are yielding results. They are important to help our funders see the importance of continuing to support and amplify efforts that truly make a difference”.

Carolina tells us that Pacifica is excited to see “the results of consistent growth and adaptation of eviction and homelessness prevention programs that work alongside efforts to house people. For example, our Streets to Homes program that operates a scattered housing supportive model with nearly 100 clients, has now supported 40 of those clients for over a decade. We are now able to see the results yielded by long term commitment and consistency. We hope that will help persuade the Federal Government to continue funding such programs through Reaching Home long beyond 2027”.

Learn more about Pacifica and Community Connections.

Want to help celebrate the sector? Nominate a deserving organization or individual for the 2027 CHRA Awards!