Latest news with #NationalHousingStrategy
Canada Standard
4 days ago
- Business
- Canada Standard
Subsidized social housing promotes economic well-being for Canadian renters, new study finds
The years following the COVID-19 pandemic were difficult for renters. The pandemic was followed by an economic recovery marked by inflation, population growth and rising interest rates. These increased the cost of financing for landlords and limited the ability of first-time buyers to access homeownership. Overall, these dynamics increased the shortage of affordable housing. Rents have risen sharply in many regions, and housing continues to be the main expense for many. Of course, access to affordable housing is an important factor in economic well-being - the ability to meet basic needs, absorb financial shocks, build assets and maintain financial means throughout one's life. Research shows that higher housing costs are associated with greater material hardship, particularly among low-income households. Without affordable housing options, many are forced to make difficult trade-offs just to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Canada's housing policies have evolved over decades, dating back to the end of the Second World War. This long history has led to the creation of various housing programs involving provincial, territorial and municipal governments. Today, housing interventions take a variety of forms and have undergone a revival since 2017, when Justin Trudeau's Liberal government launched the National Housing Strategy (NHS). The objective of the strategy is to "ensure everyone in Canada has access to housing that meets their needs." Read more: Canada's National Housing Strategy: Is it really addressing homelessness and affordability? Rental housing is owned by four main types of landlords in Canada: the private sector, along with governments, co-operatives and non-profit organizations. Each of these sectors includes units subsidized by public programs, called social housing. At a time when the federal government intends to reinvest in social housing through the NHS, rising rents and the range of assistance available to low-income renters raises the following question: what type of assistance contributes the most to the economic well-being of Canadian renters? Our recent study addressed this question by documenting the relationships between different types of rental housing and the level of economic well-being of tenants. We were particularly interested in households with working-age members aged 15 to 65. Our study is based on the first cycle of the Canadian Housing Survey in 2018. This sample represents all provinces, the Yukon and Nunavut. The study used various statistical methods to model the economic well-being of tenant households. We compared social housing tenants with other tenants who share the same profile - that is, lower-income households who tend to be older, in poorer health, less likely to have employment income, who are often single parents and who are more likely to have experienced homelessness. Our results showed that different types of social and non-market housing improve the economic well-being of tenants in different ways. Households living in co-operatives, non-profits and government-owned (also called public) social housing reported greater ease in securing their basic needs like food, clothing, housing and transportation. This positive effect was also observed for households renting in the private market who received a rent supplement - a program in place since the beginning of the 1970s that offers housing with rent representing 25 to 30 per cent of a household's total income. However, no significant effect was observed for housing allowance programs, a form of in-cash assistance paid directly to households administrated by the provinces and territories, and now supported through the Canada Housing Benefit program. Another important element of tenants' economic well-being is their ability to pay rent on time. Some groups face greater challenges in meeting this obligation. Our study found that one-person households, single-parent households and households with children are more likely to skip rent payments. The same is true if the household's main respondent identifies as LGBTQ+, is Indigenous, is unemployed, has a chronic illness or has experienced homelessness or eviction in the past. Our study also showed that tenants living in non-profit organizations, public social housing, who received a rent supplement while renting in the private market or who received a housing allowance were less likely to skip or postpone rent payments. These findings point to the stabilizing role of social housing and targeted financial support in helping vulnerable households avoid cycles of poverty and displacement. The newly elected Liberal government is looking to make structural changes to housing policies by creating a new Crown corporation, Build Canada Homes. This entity would take on the development of new housing for Canadians. Our findings show that it's important for Canada to produce social and non-market housing financed over the long term, with rents set according to households' ability to pay. These social and non-market housing models have long existed in Canada and are the most likely to help low-income tenants pay their rent and other bills. The new government's challenge appears daunting as organizations across the country call for more social housing at a time when Canada has relatively less social housing than it did 30 years ago. While Canada is facing renewed economic challenges, it is time to return to an ambitious social housing model to address the affordability crisis and ensure the economic well-being of all tenants.
Cision Canada
29-04-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
AI Revolution in Housing: UNLOCKLAND Cuts Development Time from Months to Minutes to Tackle Canada's Housing Crisis
VANCOUVER, BC, April 29, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian proptech company Meton AI has unveiled UNLOCKLAND, an AI platform that promises to revolutionize affordable housing delivery by transforming what CEO Stephen Wong calls "the most uncertain industry" into one governed by clarity, accessibility, and fairness. Amid Canada's deepening housing crisis, UNLOCKLAND's technology reduces site evaluation time from 10 weeks to just 10 minutes—a breakthrough that enables small and medium-sized developers to compete with industry giants who traditionally monopolize development opportunities through superior resources and expertise. "Real estate development might be the most experience-dependent and least standardized field in modern business," explains Wong, who founded UNLOCKLAND after witnessing countless viable projects fail due to information barriers. "Over 30% of potential housing projects in North America are abandoned before launch, not because of poor market conditions, but because preliminary analysis costs are prohibitive and risks difficult to quantify." The platform deploys a sophisticated multi-agent AI architecture where Planning, Design, Market, and Finance Agents collaborate to simulate an experienced development team. Users input an address to receive comprehensive zoning analysis, multiple AI-generated building proposals, financial projections, and risk assessments—all delivered in minutes rather than months. In a country where housing shortages have reached crisis levels, UNLOCKLAND directly addresses Canada's National Housing Strategy goals by removing barriers that slow affordable housing creation. The platform identifies viable development opportunities often overlooked by traditional methods and reduces planning approval times—two critical factors in accelerating housing supply. "This technology helps translate policy intentions into built homes," explains Wong. "When municipalities implement zoning reforms aimed at increasing density and affordability, our platform helps ensure these policies actually result in housing on the ground by making implementation transparent and accessible." Beyond efficiency gains, UNLOCKLAND is fostering improved collaboration between municipalities and developers. Vancouver's planning department is exploring the platform as a front-end service to streamline approvals, potentially reducing the affordable housing delivery timeline by months. Since launch, the platform has evaluated over 35,000 sites across Canadian cities, with expansion to U.S. and Australian markets underway. By making complex development analysis available to community-based developers and non-profits, UNLOCKLAND is helping create diverse housing options that better reflect neighborhood needs and increase overall affordability. By democratizing development expertise, UNLOCKLAND aims to create a more inclusive urban landscape where housing solutions emerge from diverse voices rather than just industry incumbents—ultimately helping translate Canada's ambitious housing targets into tangible communities where families can thrive.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Homeless forgotten in federal election platforms, say advocates
Homeless people also not well represented due to barriers to voting While the federal parties have been campaigning on promises to build more homes in Canada, advocates say those most in need of those homes have been left out of the conversation. "I see a lot of … hopelessness around finding a stable housing space," said Nivethine Mahendran who works with Choices for Youth, an organization that works with homeless youth. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties have promised to build more homes and eliminate the GST for first-time home buyers. But buying a home isn't an option homeless youth even consider according to Mahendran. She says the concerns that she's hearing when she speaks with homeless youth are not being addressed in the election platforms. She says they're looking for more affordable rental options, rent control, and increased funding to non-profits to expand housing initiatives They would also like to see more single-occupancy housing options and other income support programs boosted, she said. "That money hasn't changed over the last couple of years, whereas rental prices have just skyrocketed," said Mahendran. And housing is a crucial part in dealing with other life issues. "Whether it's addictions or they're escaping domestic intimate partner violence," she said. "You need a stable space in order to make some kind of progress on the other issues you're handling." Homelessness not addressed The executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, Doug Pawson, says homeless individuals have strong interest in the federal election, and are watching for promises to improve housing. But he says homelessness isn't well addressed in any of the party platforms. "There's not really any mention of homelessness programming and investments in any of the platforms," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see promises to create more affordable rentals, more social housing, and incentives for landlords to boost supply. While Pawson says he is happy to see a commitment to housing development, the housing strategy needs to be more robust. "Building our way out of the crisis is only helpful for … more or less 1 segment of the population, not so much the vulnerable segment," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see commitments made by the parties to support Canada's current homelessness strategies, including the National Housing Strategy, and Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy. Pawson said the government's current target is to reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent, but noted that last year the parliamentary budget office reported that they would need to increase funding sevenfold to reach that target. "It's a bit disappointing not to see any acknowledgement of how important housing and homelessness in those two [strategies]" said Pawson. Barriers to voting Pawson and Mahendran say that they have seen an interest from homeless individuals in voting, but barriers to voting often means that demographic isn't well represented in electoral decisions. "Not everybody will have a current ID that shows an address or they may not have an address," said Pawson. "Voting, it can be probably a bit of a luxury for folks who are just struggling to survive day-to-day" He said homeless people might need someone to go with them to polling stations to vouch for them and verify their identity. Residents of transitional housing facility, Horizons at 106, will also receive a letter of confirmation of residence that they can also use. Transportation to polls is another barrier, said Pawson adding that End Homelessness will be providing transportation to polls for some individuals. At Choices for Youth, Mahendran says they try to empower homeless youth to go out and vote because participating in democracy often feels impossible for them. "They feel like it's a space outside of what they're experiencing," she said. "They don't feel like they can connect with the candidates." Mahendran says she encourages youth to support each other to vote. "And then also having them go into the community and say here, this is how you can kind of engage productively with civic engagement and democracy," she said.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal Government Announces First Projects Funded Under New Co-operative Housing Development Program
OTTAWA, ON, March 22, 2025 /CNW/ - The federal government announced the first co-operative housing projects to receive funding under the new Co-operative Housing Development Program (CHDP), a $1.5 billion initiative designed to support the creation of new co-op housing across the country. Through the first application window, $423 million in funding has been allocated to support eight new co-ops, creating a total of 837 new homes. The first three projects, which are the most advanced in their development process, will receive formal funding agreements this month, representing $81 million in funding to build 206 units of new co-op housing. The other projects receiving funding will be announced in the following months. Located in Upper Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, the Upper Hammonds Plains Housing Co-operative project received $61.2 million for 136 row house units, primarily dedicated to Black Canadians. Developed through a partnership between the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust and the Upper Hammonds Plains Housing Co-operative, this project will not only provide housing but also foster community engagement and cultural connection. In the Town of Perth, Ontario, Linden Housing Co-operative will receive $12.3 million to create 38 units, including 36 newly constructed homes and 2 units within an existing house. This project will include 8 accessible units and will target 8 units for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, providing housing to those most in need. Led by the Valley Roots Housing Association, the Highbury Road project in New Minas, Nova Scotia will receive $7.1 million for 32 homes, including both apartments and townhomes. With a focus on energy efficiency, the homes will feature passive solar design to achieve net-zero performance. Quotes: "The federal government has a strong role to play in building non-market housing to provide more affordable housing options for Canadians, and this includes co-operative housing. These first projects show how co-ops can provide affordable, inclusive, and sustainable homes that respond directly to local needs." – The Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Quick Facts: The National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10+ year, $115+ billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed. As of December 2024, the federal government has committed $60.09 billion to support the creation of over 156,000 units and the repair of over 298,000 units. These measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence. The Co-operative Housing Development Program (CHDP) is the largest federal investment in new co-op housing development in more than 30 years, with $1.5 billion in funding. The program supports the creation of co-op homes that are more affordable than private market rentals, providing options for middle-income households. The program was co-designed with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and the co-op housing sector to ensure it addresses the sector's unique needs, including capacity-building support for applicants. The first application window ran from July 15 to September 15, 2024, and additional intake windows will be announced in 2025 and beyond. Additional Information: Visit for the most requested Government of Canada housing information. CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed. SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
03-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
CMHC Announces Housing Research Award Winners
OTTAWA, ON, March 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) today announced the recipients of the 2024 Housing Research Awards. The awards recognize research excellence and provide funding to support work that will generate the data and insights needed to address housing challenges in Canada. An initiative under the National Housing Strategy, the Housing Research Awards recognize outstanding Canadian housing research and provide monetary awards to help project teams to further research, knowledge mobilization and outreach activities that are innovative and impactful. The Housing Research Awards help to build and sustain Canada's culture of research-based housing knowledge across key fields, including the social sciences and humanities, health, and technology. CMHC administers the program on behalf of the Government of Canada. A multi-disciplinary panel of experts reviewed the applications following a rigorous set of criteria to identify projects with the greatest potential to produce the data and insights needed by decision-makers to improve housing affordability and better address the housing needs of Canadians. Quote: 'Thank you to all of those who submitted their work for the 2024 Housing Research Awards, and congratulations to our winners. Your impactful research is essential to addressing housing challenges in Canada. Better information means better housing policy—and more affordable homes for those who need them most.' — Coleen Volk, CMHC President and CEO Awards: CMHC President's Medal for Outstanding Housing Research ($25,000) This is the highest Housing Research Awards honour, recognizing a significant research contribution that helps achieve the aspiration of making housing affordable for everyone in Canada. The medal is presented to a team or an individual who has researched one of the NHS priority areas. The focus for the 2024 President's Medal was: Improving the Financial Viability and Sustainability of Affordable Housing in Canada. Recipient: Daniel Dicaire, Ottawa Community Housing Corporation for the project Sustainable Affordable Housing Total Cost of Building Ownership Analysis. The OCH research team (Daniel Dicaire, and research partners Gordon Downes, Dylan Bennett, Arne Suraga and Rehanna Devraj-Kizuk) used a template 20-storey building and examined five different energy performance scenarios, ranging from built to code or above, to determine which one is more the most economical and sustainable approach in the long term. They used comprehensive energy and economic modelling to examine and compare the assessed value of factors such as energy performance, capital, maintenance and repair and as well as operating costs. With accurate estimates, including initial construction cost and annual operating costs for each scenario over the next 60 years, the team was able to compare the total cost of building ownership for each of the scenarios on equal footing and show which is more economical and sustainable over the long term. Gold Roof Award for Housing Research Excellence ($12,500) This award recognizes research that improves our understanding in one of the priority areas of the NHS and leads to impacts within the academic or housing sector. Recipient: Keagan Rankin, University of Toronto for the project: Providing Affordable Housing Within Climate Limits: A Model of Sustainable Future Growth. Keagan Rankin and research partner Shoshanna Saxe set out to answer the question: 'How can Canada build the housing it needs while staying within environmental sustainability limits?' They note that while housing supply must increase by 3.5 million additional units by 2030 to restore affordability, as indicated by CMHC, even current volumes of construction will make it challenging for Canada to meet its sustainability goals. The team gathered extensive data and created a new modelling technique to simulate the construction of future neighbourhoods to determine how 3.5 million additional homes could be built by 2030 while staying within acceptable climate limits. Gold Roof Award for Knowledge to Action ($12,500) This award recognizes projects that link excellent research to real actions that are making a difference in the housing sector. Recipient: James Dunn, McMaster University for the project: The City of Hamilton's Housing Sustainability and Investment Roadmap (HSIR). In June 2022, the City of Hamilton and the Canadian Housing Evidence Collaborative (CHEC) began a research-to-action initiative to develop an evidence-based strategic implementation framework to guide the city's affordable housing efforts. The project was led by James Dunn of McMaster University, with research partners Steve Pomeroy of CHEC and a team from the City of Hamilton. Their HSIR takes a cross-sectoral approach to address housing issues in Hamilton, across four HSIR pillars: new construction; acquisition; preservation; and housing-based supports such help for those facing mental health challenges. It was adopted by Hamilton City Council in April 2023 and implementation is ongoing, leading to a significant impact in the city. Additional Information: The application portal for the 2025 Housing Research Awards will open this summer. Researchers will be able to apply for funding that recognizes innovative and impactful research, training knowledge mobilization and outreach relevant to housing in Canada. Visit our web site for more information on the Housing Research Awards. CMHC plays a critical role as a national convenor to promote stability and sustainability in Canada's housing finance system. Our mortgage insurance products support access to home ownership and the creation and maintenance of rental supply. We actively support the Government of Canada in delivering on its commitment to make housing more affordable. Our research and data help inform housing policy. By facilitating cooperation between all levels of government, private and non-profit sectors, we contribute to advancing housing affordability, equity, and climate compatibility.
