Canada is struggling through a worsening housing crisis. Since 2021, housing costs have risen dramatically, increasing the number of people facing these challenges. By investing directly in growing the community housing sector in Canada we can provide people with safe, affordable, and appropriate places to live. Doing so would support a national right to housing and would allow people to invest in themselves and their communities.

 

A guide to Housing on the Hill Day

Housing on the Hill Day is an annual event organized by CHRA that facilitates meetings between housing professionals and Parliamentarians to discuss issues of importance to the social and non-profit housing sector. This year’s event is taking place on Tuesday, November 26.

Prior to the event, attendees will be placed into advocacy teams based on similarities in the regions and/or communities they serve, the type of housing/services they provide, their areas of advocacy interest, etc. Participants will be invited to attend a free networking event on the evening of Monday, November 25 to meet their advocacy teams.

To make sure all participants are prepared for their meetings, we’re offering in-person advocacy training sessions on Monday, November 25. Our Advocacy 101 course will give an overview of Parliament and how it operates, how the meetings will function, and why Housing on the Hill Day is a critical event for our sector. Housing on the Hill veterans and those with a good grasp on meetings with Parliamentarians and how they work may find Advocacy 201 beneficial. Participants will get the chance to level-up their advocacy skills and engage with their peers in problem-solving scenarios designed to sharpen their advocacy expertise.

Participants will meet with MPs and Senators throughout the day while we offer ongoing programming at the Delta Hotel.

 

What are we advocating for?

Despite a growing need for more affordable housing, Canada’s supply of community housing represents less than 4% of Canada’s total housing stock. That’s why CHRA consistently advocates for the investments we need to double the share of community housing stock.

Investing in community housing is not only the right thing to do to help the approximately 1.5 million people living in core housing need; it’s what’s required to build a stronger economy.

That’s why as we prepare to head into an election year, this year’s Housing on the Hill Day will focus on ensuring that our members have stable access to the funding and financing that they need to continue growing the community housing sector.

Priority 1: Close the gap on Indigenous housing by investing $3 billion per year into the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.

Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Act requires the Government to implement UNDRIP in cooperation with Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous Caucus and CHRA strongly believe this necessitates a for-Indigenous, by Indigenous approach to housing, an important component of which is ensuring adequate and appropriate housing is available to Indigenous people those who live in urban, rural, and northern (URN) environments. Approximately 18% of Indigenous households living in URN areas (124,000) are in housing need; a dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous people and a significant barrier to true reconciliation.

To address this gap the federal government must finally take the steps they need to truly invest into URN Indigenous housing. First, the federal government must recognize the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc (NICHI), as its long-term delivery partner for the URN Indigenous housing commitment in the 2023 federal budget and provide additional funding and financing for the URN Indigenous Housing Strategy that meets what is needed to solve the issue – approximately $3 billion per year.

Priority 2: Reform and extend the Affordable Housing Fund to 2035.

The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) is the flagship program for building new community housing in Canada, and it’s due to expire in 2028. Housing development projects operate on multi-year timelines. To ensure a healthy pipeline of projects the federal government must provide certainty to community housing providers and developers that funding and financing will be available. This would mean stabilizing funding by providing at least $2 billion per year, indexed to inflation. The federal government must implement reforms for the program to improve its overall efficacy.

Priority 3: Work with provincial and territorial governments to provide more directed investments to build supportive housing.

Supportive housing combines affordable community housing with supportive services that enable people to live independently in their communities; it’s vital to addressing the greatest housing needs.

Investments such as the Rapid Housing Stream of the Affordable Housing Fund announced in Budget 2024 will provide much needed funding for supportive housing but fall short of the commitments made through previous rounds of the Rapid Housing Initiative, which is projected to build more than 15,500 units.

The federal government must make a long-term commitment to build supportive housing by making an annual commitment of at least $1 billion of new money specifically targeting supportive housing for the Affordable Housing Fund. The federal government must also work to secure agreements with provincial and territorial governments for operating funding for the health and social supports attached to supportive housing. This will provide and stabilize housing services for those who need them most.

 

Housing on the Hill Day is a CHRA members-only event. Not sure of your membership status or having trouble registering? Contact Chloe Martin, Coordinator of Membership and Programs at chloe@chra-achru.ca. We welcome you to become a CHRA member and join us for Housing on the Hill Day!