CMHC Celebrates Finalists of the Housing Supply Challenge

Press Release

March 4, 2025

Through the third, fourth and fifth rounds of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Supply Challenge, up to $137.7 million was distributed among 40 successful recipients to explore and implement innovative housing solutions with the goal of removing and reducing obstacles to housing supply in Canada.The Housing Supply Challenge invites citizens, stakeholders and experts to propose solutions to the barriers to new housing supply and is distributing $300 million in funding over five years to successful finalists.

The third round of the challenge, “Northern Access — Supply Chain Solutions for Northern and Remote Housing”, called for solutions that reduced the time, cost and risk to access resources for building and maintaining appropriate northern and remote housing supply. A total of 15 finalists were selected for funding, sharing a pool of $74.6 million to implement their solutions.

The fourth round, “Building for the Future — Innovative Construction for Housing Affordability”, called for solutions that focused on innovative construction processes, techniques, systems or materials that will help increase the supply of housing that is affordable, climate compatible and meets people’s needs. A total of 16 finalists were selected, sharing a pool of $36.1 million to implement their solutions.

The fifth round, “Level-Up: Transforming the Way Canada Delivers Housing”, called for projects that could increase the adoption of system-level solutions that would transform Canada’s ability to produce more community and market housing, faster. A total of nine finalists were each awarded $3 million to implement their solutions.

Final Game-Changer prize recipients will be identified in spring 2025.

Quote:

“The $300 million Housing Supply Challenge has fostered collaboration and is helping build strategic partnerships, allowing us to work closely with stakeholders to break down barriers to housing supply so we can build more homes that Canadians can afford.”

— 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 September 2024, the federal government has committed $57.57 billion to support the creation of over 156,000 units and the repair of over 297,000 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 federal government is providing $300 million in funding over five years for the Housing Supply Challenge (HSC), with the goal to unlock new solutions for Canadians searching for an affordable place to call home.
• The HSC is delivered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), with aims to:
  • Provide new resources and find solutions to enhance housing supply and provide a platform to share these models with communities across Canada;
  • Help address barriers to housing supply and affordability, showcase new ideas and solutions, and cultivate collaboration and partnerships.
• The first round of the HSC, “Data Driven”, selected 14 finalists who proposed innovative solutions to address housing gaps in housing data, sharing a pool of $22.5 million to implement these solutions.
• The second round of the HSC, “Getting Started”, selected 14 finalists who proposed innovative pre-development processess, sharing a pool of $38 million to implement these solutions.

Additional information:

Visit Canada.ca/housing 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.

Information on this news release:

Sofia Ouslis
Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
sofia.ouslis@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

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