News

On February 8, 2021 The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) and the Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC) hosted a consultation session on the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) to better understand how the initiative can improved as a second phase and inform the federal government. The feedback received was invaluable…

CHRA is proud to launch registration for its 53rd National Congress on Housing and Homelessness taking place from April 27 to 29, 2021. Congress is going virtual for 2021 and we are excited to have you join us online for three days of learning, networking and celebrating excellence in the…

  In 2016, the federal government provided a two-year bridge funding for non-profit and co-operative housing organizations whose operating agreements with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) ended between April 1, 2016 and April 1, 2018. Subsequently, the Federal Community Housing Initiative, phase 2 (FCHI-2) was launched, extending this support…

CHRA is proud to announce that we have partnered with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Green Municipal Fund (GMF) for 2021. For over 20 years, GMF has supported innovative municipal sustainability projects across Canada, and more recently, sustainable affordable housing. CHRA looks forward to working with the Green Municipal Fund to promote and share the exciting funding initiatives,…

CHRA Indigenous Caucus Releases National Polling Results on URN Indigenous Housing Today, the CHRA Indigenous Caucus releases the results of a national public opinion poll undertaken by Abacus Data designed to better understand the views and beliefs that Canadians have on urban, rural and northern (URN) Indigenous housing. The survey was conducted with…

Having closely monitored the current COVID-19 pandemic and taking into consideration the public health guidelines and advice, CHRA has decided to organize its first-ever “virtual” Congress on Housing and Homelessness. Taking place April 27-29, 2021, CHRA is excited to welcome you to three virtual days of learning, networking and celebrating our…

For many years, CHRA and the CHRA Indigenous Caucus have called on the federal government to introduce a dedicated strategy focused on urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing. However, to date, there has been no release of a dedicated strategy that addresses the housing gaps faced by the 80% of Indigenous…

On October 27, CMHC released details on the new $1 billion Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). Details of the program include: $500 million will be set aside for Canada’s 15 largest cities, and $500 million will be available to other organizations, including non-profit and Indigenous housing providers, via an application process.…

The Housing Professionals Mentorship Program is now receiving applications for the 2021 cohort! Since 2018, HPMP has matched experienced housing leaders with those who are just starting out to build networks, develop leadership skills and share discoveries about community housing and homelessness. This year, HPMP has launched a brand new website that shares all the…

On September 8, CHRA was very proud to honour the recipients of the 2020 CHRA National Awards. In response to having CHRA’s National Congress on Housing and Homelessness cancelled due to COVID-19, CHRA held its Annual Awards Ceremony for the first time ever in virtual format. Congratulations to our following…

CHRA has submitted a brief to the House of Commons Finance Committee as part of the Committee’s annual pre-budget consultation process in advance of the 2021 federal budget. CHRA’s overlying theme is that investments in affordable housing should be the key focus of a post-pandemic economic stimulus package.  Specifically, CHRA…

CHRA is happy to announce that registration for the annual Housing on the Hill Day is now open. Taking place on September 29, the 2020 version of Housing on the Hill Day will be in a virtual format due to the ongoing pandemic. Housing on the Hill Day is an annual event where registrants have…

The tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of American police officers has rightfully raised the issue of racism in our society, regardless of borders. The community housing sector exists to provide shelter and services to all people in need, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age,…

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, CHRA has shared a number of concerns and recommendations raised by CHRA members with CMHC and the federal government. However, in order to capture the full scope of short and long-term recommendations, CHRA has prepared a letter to the federal Minister responsible for…

COVID-19 Response Page UPDATED April 8, 2020 CHRA has been working closely with government officials, its provincial counterpart associations and its members to provide the most relevant and timely information for those in the Community Housing and Homelessness Sector who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. On this page you…

A few days ago, we informed you that the CHRA Annual Congress in April 2020 could not proceed in light of COVID-19 developments. Since then, we have been working internally and with venues in Saskatoon to determine if Congress could be scheduled to another date later in the year. Given…

In advance of the 2020 federal Budget, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) today issued its submission to the federal government outlining its key budgetary recommendations. CHRA has called for 3 policies to be included in Budget 2020:  Develop and implement an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy,…

On November 13, the CHRA Board of Directors approved a new 4-year Strategic Plan (PDF) to guide the organization between 2020 and 2024. The Plan was developed with the input of members, the CHRA Board of Directors, and staff. It contains five Key Result Areas – Advocacy, Policy and Research, Member Services,…

On October 6, CHRA worked with a coalition of housing organizations to host the first ever National Housing Debate in Ottawa. Adam Vaughan (Liberal), Pierre Poilievre (Conservative), Angella MacEwan (NDP), Geneviève Nadeau (Bloc Quebecois), and Angela Keller-Herzog (Green Party) discussed a range of issues related to housing. The debate was…

An updated version of the Canadian Rental Housing Index (RHI) was unveiled today at a press conference held in Toronto. The RHI is an invaluable online tool that uses census data to provide detailed information on rental housing conditions across Canada. The updated version contains rental housing data broken down…