The CHRA team is busy preparing for the 2025 CHRA National Congress, taking place April 29 to May 1 in Saskatoon, and we can’t wait to welcome you to what is sure to be an incredible event!

We continue to innovate and improve on the Congress program and events while keeping attendee favourites on the agenda. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on! Read on to learn more about what you can expect at the 2025 Congress.

 

Pre-Congress: April 29

Indigenous Innovation Forum

The Indigenous Innovation Forum is entering its third year at the CHRA Congress. We’re proud to have built on the success of previous events, including the “Innovation Forum” and “Indigenous Caucus Day” of previous years to provide a day of learning and discussion about Indigenous Innovations in Housing. This event will offer a variety of sessions, valuable insights, and learning opportunities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants alike.

Join us this year to enjoy sessions including Raising the Bar: Indigenous Wrap-Around Services in Action and From Roots to Roofs: Perspectives on Northern Indigenous Housing Development.

Pre-Congress courses

This year, we’re proud to offer three Pre-Congress courses in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Housing Canada. This year’s courses are a must-attend for those with an interest in the relationship between housing and homelessness or organizational management. Register for a full-day course to learn about:

Professional Development as Wrap Around Support for Staff: Navigating organizational change, staff burnout, and sector challenges. Housing organizations and their employees are often navigating multiple challenges at once while managing the day-to-day work of providing housing. Join this interactive session to learn about how professional development (PD) can help housing organizations tackle issues as they arise and get an overview of the research supporting the importance of PD in the workplace in addressing change management.

Leading with Equity: Integrating DEI into your housing organization. In today’s housing sector, leaders are committed to integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) but can feel uncertain about navigating potential pitfalls. Leading with Equity: Integrating DEI into Your Housing Organization is a transformative, hands-on course that will empower you to bring DEI into every facet of your work without hesitation.

The Intersection of Housing and Homelessness. Canada has two separate systems generally working in silos: community housing makes housing affordable (on the assumption that most tenants can live relatively independently, while housing for people who’ve experienced long-term homelessness typically comes with wrapround support. This course will focus on the reality that many low-income households – whether they’ve experienced long-term homelessness or not – require both subsidy and wrapround support.

 

Congress Programming: April 30 to May 1

Congress Sessions

This year’s Congress sessions will examine cutting edge initiatives, partnerships, and programs that are bringing the community housing sector into the future. Join our expert speakers as we explore topics including:

• Scaling up housing
•  development
• Inclusive housing solutions
• Equity in housing
• Change management and organizational sustainability
• Creative funding solutions
• Innovative partnerships
• Supportive housing
• Advocacy, and more

Mobile Tours

Our mobile tours will give you a unique perspective on housing initiatives in Saskatoon. Tour facilities and visit housing providers that are leading change and serving their communities including:

• Pleasant Hill Revitalization Project Mobile Tour
• Exploring Indigenous Affordable Housing Innovations
• The Landscape of Social Impact Organizations in Saskatoon
• 3twenty Modular
• YWCA Expansion
• Partnerships and Supportive Housing/Social Housing Rejuvenation

 

Special Events

Keynote. This year’s Keynote Speaker is Dr. Prentiss Dantzler, Associate Professor, Founding Director of the Housing Justice Lab, University of Toronto. Dantzler's keynote will focus on the changing ethos of homeownership and how our collective ideas to own have (re)produced racialized uneven development and highlight how disadvantaged communities have imagined alternative urban futures through reparative justice models.

CHRA Awards presentation. The CHRA Awards are back and improved after a one-year hiatus. We'll celebrate recipients in the following categories:

 

• Outstanding Program or Initiative: Organization
• Outstanding Development: Organization
• Indigenous Cultural Sustainability: Organization
• Leadership: Individual

President’s Pyjamas and Pearls Party. Attendees are invited to don their fanciest jammies and catch up with your colleagues, make new friends, and celebrate our sector with food and drinks in a casual setting at the CHRA President’s Pajamas and Pearls Party.

Métis Experience at Batoche. Our friends and Congress sponsors the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan invite Congress attendees to stay an extra day and join them for an unforgettable day of Métis history, culture, and community at the Batoche Historic Site.

 

Tradeshow

CHRA is proud to welcome our Tradeshow exhibitors to the 2025 Congress! Attend the Tradeshow on April 30 to connect with businesses, suppliers, service providers, and sector partners that can assist your organization with property management, finance, operations, and more!

 

Visit the Congress website to learn more and register.