Throughout the year, CHRA regularly sends communications and submissions to the federal government on a range of issues impacting Canada's community housing sector. Recent government communications include:
CHRA submits letter to Minister Freeland outlining our priorities for the Fall Economic Statement
September 12, 2023
CHRA sent a letter to the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister, outlining our key recommendations for addressing the housing and affordability crises in Canada:
1. A Stable Pipeline of Community Housing Projects
2. Deliver Housing for Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Peoples through NICHI
3. Invest in Preserving Housing Affordability
4. Create a “Team Canada” Housing Industrial Strategy
The Fall Economic Statement is an opportunity to make life fairer, more inclusive, and more affordable for people across Canada. The challenges to addressing Canada’s housing shortfalls are many and require ongoing coordination and collaboration to overcome them. The recommendations outlined in this letter are important steps to making that future a reality.
CHRA submits reccommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2024 Budget
August 3, 2023
Canada is struggling through a dramatically worsening housing crisis. Millions of Canadians – particularly those with lower incomes – have been experiencing rapidly rising housing costs, driven in large part by an extreme housing supply shortfall. The impacts of Canada’s housing shortfall disproportionately impact Indigenous peoples, newcomers, women-led households, youth, and seniors.
Despite growing need, Canada’s supply of community housing only represents less than 4% of Canada’s total housing stock: less than half the OECD and G7 averages. The inability to afford housing is becoming an increasingly tightening bottleneck to economic growth, undoubtedly contributing to the decline of Canada’s economic productivity.
The Government of Canada must put an ambitious policy agenda in place that doubles the proportion of Canada’s community housing stock to grow the Canadian economy, and make life fairer, more inclusive, and affordable for people across Canada.
CHRA Submits Recommendations to the National Housing Council on the Financialization of Purpose-Built Rental Housing
June 12, 2023
CHRA submitted its recommendations to the National Housing Council on the financialization of housing.
There is consensus that financialization is a significant threat to housing affordability and community housing in Canada. It leads to a business model based on displacing long-term tenants and rapidly increasing rent, with the goal of rapidly increasing the real estate asset value. This trend continues to worsen, requiring a coordinated response to ensure economically vulnerable individuals remain housed. CHRA recommends that the government work in partnership with the community housing sector to co-develop a national rental preservation program to support community housing providers to acquire existing rental properties and preserve affordability, removing these properties from the cycle of financialization.
CHRA is recommending that the National Housing Council endorse our recommendations to mitigate the effects of financialization.
CHRA submits recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) on the financialization of housing
May 24, 2023
CHRA submitted its recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) on the Financialization of Housing. In the context of community housing, the financialization of housing (“financialization”) can be defined as the erosion of private market affordable housing stock caused by the treatment of housing as a financial commodity. CHRA is recommending that HUMA endorse our recommendations to mitigate the effects of financialization.
CHRA submits letter to Minister Freeland reiterating our urgent priorities for Budget 2023
March 15, 2023
This week, CHRA sent a letter to the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, reiterating our key priorities for addressing the housing and affordability crises in Canada.
Budget 2023 is an opportunity to make life fairer, more inclusive, and more affordable for people across Canada. The challenges to addressing Canada’s housing shortfalls are many and require ongoing coordination and collaboration to overcome them. The recommendations outlined in this letter are important steps to making that future a reality.
CHRA submits letter to federal government outlining urgent priorities for the 2023 federal budget
January 30, 2023
On January 30th, CHRA sent a letter to the federal government asking that they take stock of how they can make life fairer, more inclusive, and more affordable for people across Canada. Our priorities for the 2023 budget can make a meaningful start in creating the housing we need to serve those in core housing need.
CHRA submits letter to Minister Hussen regarding new cap on Co-Investment Fund grants
October 27, 2022
Recently, non-repayable contributions (grants) available through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) have been capped at $25,000 per unit when paired with loans. With higher interest and inflation, this significant reduction is happening at a time when more grant funding is needed, not less.
Last week, CHRA submitted a letter to the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, urging him to work with the Minister of Finance to provide emergency funding to increase the availability of non-repayable contributions available through NHCF, and to work towards an increased funding envelope through the 2023 Federal Budget.
CHRA submits recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2023 Budget
Last week, CHRA submitted its recommendations to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2023 Budget. Unlocking a Canada that is fairer, more inclusive, and affordable for everyone starts at home, and affordable housing is the key. To this end, CHRA is recommending that Budget 2023 include our three priority recommendations.
CHRA Sends Recommendations to Reform National Housing Co-Investment Fund and RCFI
Following a member consultation , CHRA forwarded a letter to Federal Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen and CMHC containing recommendations to improve the $13 billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund and the $25 billion Rental Construction Financing Initiative (RCFI).
Read the letter (in English).
CHRA writes Minister Hussen with recommendations for the third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative
The 2022 federal Budget included a provision of $1.5 billion towards a third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). CHRA is pleased at the continuation of the RHI, having strongly advocated for such a program since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, CHRA sent a letter to Minister Amhed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, outlining some recommendations for the development of the third round of the RHI.
Read the letter (in English).
Proposals for the $4 Billion Municipal Accelerator Fund
During the 2021 federal election campaign, the Liberals promised to create a new $4 billion Municipal Accelerator Fund that would provide support to municipalities to accelerate and incentivize the development of new affordable housing. In order to inform the content and structure of this program, Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen launched a public consultation earlier this year to seek the views of Canadians. In response, CHRA held a consultation with its members in January to hear member views on the potential for this program - we thank all members who participated. Based on that session, CHRA has prepared a letter to Minister Hussen outlining our views on the content and structure of this proposed Fund. Read the letter.
Submission to the Pre-Budget Consultations for the 2022 Canadian Federal Budget
In early February, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland launched a pre-budget consultation with Canadians. CHRA submitted a letter to the Minister outlining a number of key priorities that CHRA and its partners have identified over the past year, including the need for an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy, additional investments in community housing supply, and measures to address financialization. CHRA has also requested the opportunity to meet with the Minister to discuss these items in more detail. Read our submission.
Canadian Alliance of Non-Profit Housing Associations letter to the Prime Minister reacting to the 2021 federal Budget
Members of the Canadian Alliance of Non-Profit Housing Associations (CANPHA) submitted a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressing their disappointment with the omission of funding for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous housing providers from the 2021 Budget. Read the letter.
Letter to Minister Ahmed Hussen with recommendations to improve Round 2 of the Rapid Housing Initiative
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. Learn more.
2021 Pre-Budget consultation submission
CHRA 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. Learn more.
CHRA Releases Polling Results on Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy
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. Learn more.
Letter to Minister Ahmed Hussen on ideas for a post-pandemic Canada
CHRA prepared a letter to the federal Minister responsible for housing, Ahmed Hussen, summarizing key suggestions on how to assist housing providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in its aftermath. Learn more.
2020 Pre-Budget consultation submission
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. Learn more.
Letter to Minister Jean-Yves Duclos on the National Housing Strategy Act
CHRA prepared a letter to Minister Jean-Yves Duclos regarding our belief that the National Housing Strategy should be designed within a human rights framework. Read the letter.
2019 Pre-Budget consultation submission
CHRA submitted a list of recommendations to the House of Commons Finance Committee ahead of the 2019 Federal Budget. Learn more.
"For Indigenous, By Indigenous" Proposal for an Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy
CHRA and its Indigenous Housing Caucus Working Group released A For Indigenous, By Indigenous (FIBI) National Housing Strategy that calls on the federal government to address the housing needs of urban, rural and northern Indigenous families and individuals. Learn more.
CHRA Response to the National Housing Strategy consultation
On October 11, CHRA submitted its response to the federal government regarding its National Housing Strategy Consultation entitled "Housing at a Crossroads: CHRA's Vision for the Next Generation of Housing Policy in Canada". Read the Response.