(November 4, 2025) – The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) welcomes the new investments in non-market community housing announced in Budget 2025 through a $13 billion investment into Build Canada Homes. The government’s commitment to focus Build Canada Homes primarily on non-market community housing represents a substantial opportunity to build truly affordable non-market community housing and demonstrate real federal leadership in addressing the housing crisis.
The non-profit, public, co-operative, and Indigenous housing sectors play a critical role in creating lasting housing affordability. Investments like this will contribute to the goal of more than doubling the share of non-market community housing, which will significantly contribute to addressing the housing crisis. To achieve greater impact the Government of Canada must build on this initial commitment in a way that offers a clear path to doubling the share of non-market community housing.
Echoing the recent report, Measuring What Matters: Proposing an Outcomes Framework for Federal Housing Policy, CHRA members call on Build Canada Homes and the Government of Canada to adopt clear outcome-oriented targets which include:
- Clear targets and timelines to end homelessness and reduce core housing need.
- Income-based measures of affordability, based on income quintiles, including housing affordable to the lowest 20% of income earners.
- Rapidly increasing the supply of For-Indigenous, By-Indigenous community housing.
- Growing the proportion of housing that is non-market, mission-driven community housing, including supportive housing.
CHRA is pleased to see the re-commitment to the urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing strategy in Budget 2025. However, the urgency of the housing gap faced by Indigenous people demands immediate, Indigenous led solutions. The CHRA Indigenous Caucus calls for direct investments to be made to the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc. (NICHI) and for approaches that address the unique needs of Indigenous Peoples living in urban, rural, and northern communities. Words must now translate into action.
Additionally, CHRA calls on the government to extend critically important rental subsidy programs such as the Canada Housing Benefit and the Federal Community Housing Initiative Phase 2. These subsidies provide direct support for over 300,000 households across the country to ensure deep affordability and directly protect these households from homelessness.
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 they are seeing the impacts of the ongoing crisis firsthand. CHRA draws heavily on the practical, on-the-ground expertise of our members and we work hard to bring those perspectives to Ottawa.
“We welcome the government’s focus on non-market housing and the mandate assigned to Build Canada Homes,” said Ray Sullivan, Executive Director of CHRA. “To make real progress, Canada must invest at a scale that reflects the depth of this crisis and the transformative potential of the non-market housing sector. The community housing sector stands ready to turn this commitment into real homes for Canadians.”
Shaun Simms, CHRA Board President, added:
“This is a moment of real opportunity for Canada’s community housing providers. Strategic investments can unlock long-term economic value by supporting the building and preserving of homes that remain permanently affordable. They also help strengthen communities with social supports needed to keep people stably housed and ensure that no one is left behind in Canada’s housing future.”
For more information, contact:
Kenneth Milner
Director, Policy & Government Relations
kenneth@chra-achru.ca
C: 613-899-7050