Building with Purpose: CHRA’s submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance ahead of the 2026 budget
Press Release
August 14, 2025
Canada’s housing crisis is not just a social challenge—it is a pressing economic one. The lack of affordable, secure housing is holding back productivity, deepening inequality, and limiting people’s ability to fully participate in the economy.
This is a moment to treat housing as core economic infrastructure and to build with purpose. The federal government’s commitment to a new agency, Build Canada Homes, signals a historic opportunity to deliver affordable housing at scale. But to truly unlock economic and social returns, this effort must centre the non-profit and Indigenous housing sectors—partners with decades of experience building and operating homes that are affordable in perpetuity.
By investing in community housing, Canada can grow a more inclusive economy, protect people from instability, and make measurable progress toward the right to housing. To that end, the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association is putting forward the following recommendations for the 2026 federal budget:
- Prioritize non-profit community housing in the design and mandate of Build Canada Homes.
- Extend the Affordable Housing Fund to ensure shovel-ready community housing projects move forward.
- Immediately release $300 million in funding to the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc. (NICHI).
- Continue to build more capacity through a community housing growth fund.
- Protect low-income households by extending federal rental assistance programs.
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