Canadian Housing and Renewal Association

Last updated
Canadian Housing and Renewal Association
AbbreviationCHRA
Formation1967
TypeHousing Organization based in Canada
Legal statusactive
Purposeadvocate and public voice, educator and network
Headquarters Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Region served
Canada
Official language
English, French
Website The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA)

The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) is a national non-profit association in Canada representing those working in (or concerned with the state of) affordable housing and homelessness in Canada.

Contents

CHRA's main objectives include:

CHRA aims to achieve these goals through its activities, including:

History

During the mid-1960s, a group of concerned urban renewal professionals in Toronto became members of the Upper New York State Chapter of the National Association of Housing Renewal Officials (NAHRO). From this nucleus, the Canadian Association of Housing & Renewal Officials (CAHRO) was formed in 1967. The original members of CAHRO were concerned with urban renewal; however, this changed with the development of a national membership and the introduction of the Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP). As stated in the CAHRO constitution at the time, the objectives of the association were:

"to promote understanding of housing, community renewal, housing development, programs and policies, and rehabilitation and property standards affecting the urban environment at the municipal level, and to promote this understanding through dissemination of information on legislation and techniques."

During the early 1970s, the membership was limited to several hundred. The annual conference was the only regular meeting, and correspondence consisted of a mailing before the annual meeting. This changed in 1977, when a newsletter (Communiqué) was sent to members at irregular intervals in response to new federal policy in housing. This newsletter (and other activities) were limited by resources derived from membership dues and a small profit from the annual conference.

In early 1977, the president of CAHRO approached the then-Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) requesting funding to establish a small national office with an executive director. CAHRO felt that unless the association had its own office, it could not become an effective municipal voice in housing. Initial meetings between the two agencies centred on this proposal; however, experience with similar operations led CMHC to suggest funding for a product-oriented agreement. In late summer 1977, CAHRO submitted a proposal to CMHC for funding of a national housing magazine. The proposal was formally agreed on in summer 1978.

In the agreement, CMHC agreed to fund CAHRO for two purposes:

Further specifications concerning the periodical were made. It was to be bilingual, national and published six times per year. In 1978, there were to be two issues. Furthermore,

"it will contain practical and technical information to address program delivery problems and improve skills; illustrations, analyses, news and comments related to the wide range of housing and rehabilitation issues and activities. It will review current resources material and provide an inquiry service to its readers who will primarily include the various public and private groups and individuals involved in the delivery of NIP and RRAP, and other related housing and rehabilitation activity."

Staffing interviews for the magazine were held in August 1978; by early September, three people were set up in the CAHRO national office in Fredericton, New Brunswick working on the first issue of Impact. During its six-year history, Impact communicated CAHRO's responses to government housing policies and positions, voiced housing-related issues and policies emerging at the municipal level, and published articles and opinions from across the country. In 1984, CAHRO moved to a national office in Ottawa and hired Heather Lang-Runtz as executive director and editor. With this move came the decision to create a national housing magazine that would not only disseminate information to members, but would also help increase the organization's capacity to attract new members and become a stronger advocate for improved housing in Canada.

In the fall of 1984, the first issue of Canadian Housing was published. In late 1988, stemming from a decision to broaden the scope of the organization from that of a program-specific lobby group toward a more broadly-based national housing organization focusing on housing affordability for Canadians, the name of the organization was changed to the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA).

CHRA today

From the beginning of the CHRA/CMHC funding agreement in 1978 through the early 2000s, CHRA sustained itself primarily by way of this funding. In 2009, in the midst of federal spending cuts it became clear that CMHCs funding for CHRA would be cut. The annual funding provided by CMHC to CHRA ended in December 2010. As of 2011, CHRA aims to replace its CMHC funding through budget-cutting, increased membership and revenue generation through its services.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Canada</span>

Homelessness in Canada was not a social problem until the 1980s. The Canadian government housing policies and programs in place throughout the 1970s were based on a concept of shelter as a basic need or requirement for survival and of the obligation of government and society to provide adequate housing for everyone. Public policies shifted away from rehousing in the 1980s in wealthy Western countries like Canada, which led to a de-housing of households that had previously been housed. By 1987, when the United Nations established the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless (IYSH), homelessness had become a serious social problem in Canada. The report of the major 1987 IYSH conference held in Ottawa said that housing was not a high priority for government, and this was a significant contributor to the homelessness problem. While there was a demand for adequate and affordable housing for low income Canadian families, government funding was not available. In the 1980s a "wider segment of the population" began to experience homelessness for the first time – evident through their use of emergency shelters and soup kitchens. Shelters began to experience overcrowding, and demand for services for the homeless was constantly increasing. A series of cuts were made to national housing programs by the federal government through the mid-1980s and in the 1990s. While Canada's economy was robust, the cuts continued and in some cases accelerated in the 1990s, including cuts to the 1973 national affordable housing program. The government solution for homelessness was to create more homeless shelters and to increase emergency services. In the larger metropolitan areas like Toronto the use of homeless shelters increased by 75% from 1988 to 1998. Urban centres such as Montreal, Laval, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary all experienced increasing homelessness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation</span> Canadian national housing agency

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is Canada's federal crown corporation responsible for administering the National Housing Act, with the mandate to improve housing by living conditions in the country.

Supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives, and is an active "community services and funding" stream across the United States. It was developed by different professional academics and US governmental departments that supported housing. Supportive housing is widely believed to work well for those who face the most complex challenges—individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes and/or serious, persistent issues that may include substance use disorders, mental health, HIV/AIDS, chronic illness, diverse disabilities or other serious challenges to stable housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordable housing</span> Housing affordable to those with a median household income

Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affordable housing refers to mortgages and a number of forms that exist along a continuum – from emergency homeless shelters, to transitional housing, to non-market rental, to formal and informal rental, indigenous housing, and ending with affordable home ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims</span> Non-governmental organization

The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) is an independent, international health professional organization that promotes and supports the rehabilitation of torture victims and works for the prevention of torture worldwide. Based in Denmark, the IRCT is the umbrella organization for over 160 independent torture rehabilitation organizations in 76 countries that treat and assist torture survivors and their families. They advocate for holistic rehabilitation for all victims of torture, which can include access to justice, reparations, and medical, psychological, and psycho-social counseling. The IRCT does this through strengthening the capacity of their membership, enabling an improved policy environment for torture victims, and generating and share knowledge on issues related to the rehabilitation of torture victims. Professionals at the IRCT rehabilitation centers and programs provide treatment for an estimated 100,000 survivors of torture every year. Victims receive multidisciplinary support including medical and psychological care and legal aid. The aim of the rehabilitation process is to empower torture survivors to resume as full a life as possible. In 1988, IRCT, along with founder Inge Genefke, was given the Right Livelihood Award "for helping those whose lives have been shattered by torture to regain their health and personality."

The New York State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) is a New York State public-benefit corporation created in 1960 to build and preserve affordable multifamily rental housing throughout New York State. HFA sells bonds and uses the proceeds to make mortgages to affordable housing developers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council on Disability Affairs (Philippines)</span>

The Philippines' National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) is the national government agency mandated to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns. As such, the NCWDP is the lead agency tasked to steer the course of program development for persons with disabilities and the delivery of services to the sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing</span> Living spaces

Housing refers to the usage and possibly construction of shelter as living spaces, individually or collectively. Housing is a basic human need and a human right, playing a critical role in shaping the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities, As such it is the main issue of housing organization and policy.

National Network for Youth (NN4Y) was founded in 1974 as the National Network of Runaway and Youth Services (NNRYS), as a membership association of community-based organizations that aimed to focus on the needs of youth in runaway and homeless situations. Today, NN4Y represents more than 500 community-based organizations s in the United States and territories. NN4Y members work with their neighborhood youth, adults, associations, and regional and state networks of youth workers to provide street-based services, emergency shelter, transitional living programs, counseling, and social, health, educational and job-related services to over 2.5 million youth each year.

Public housing policies in Canada includes rent controls, as well as subsidized interest rates and grants. Early public housing policy in Canada consisted of public-private lending schemes which focused on expanding home ownership among the middle class. The first major housing initiative in Canada was the Dominion Housing Act of 1935, which increased the amount of credit available for mortgage loans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dean Fortin</span>

Dean Fortin served as mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, from 2008 to 2014.

Friendship Centres are nonprofit community organizations that provide services to urban Inuit, Métis, and First Nations people. Friendship Centres were first established in the 1950s, and there are now more than 100 centres across Canada. Friendship Centres typically provide a variety of programs and services to its members, which can include youth programs, health services, housing, employment, cultural programs, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Council on Urban Affairs</span> American nonprofit organization

Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago that mobilizes the Jewish community of the region to advance racial and economic justice. JCUA partners with diverse community groups across the city and state to combat racism, antisemitism, poverty and other forms of systemic oppression, through grassroots community organizing, youth education programs, and community development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing trust fund</span>

Housing trust funds are established sources of funding for affordable housing construction and other related purposes created by governments in the United States (U.S.). Housing Trust Funds (HTF) began as a way of funding affordable housing in the late 1970s. Since then, elected government officials from all levels of government in the U.S. have established housing trust funds to support the construction, acquisition, and preservation of affordable housing and related services to meet the housing needs of low-income households. Ideally, HTFs are funded through dedicated revenues like real estate transfer taxes or document recording fees to ensure a steady stream of funding rather than being dependent on regular budget processes. As of 2016, 400 state, local and county trust funds existed across the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affordable housing in Canada</span>

Affordable housing in Canada is living spaces that are deemed financially accessible to those with a median household income in Canada. The property ladder continuum of affordable housing in Canada includes market, non-market, and government-subsidized housing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation</span> Community organization

The Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation (GREC) is a consortium of neighborhood organizations in North Brooklyn that serves to facilitate and advocate the activities for city initiatives, as well as coordinate community involvement in the neighborhood of the former Greenpoint Hospital Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homelessness in Vancouver</span> Social crisis in Vancouver

Homelessness is a social crisis that has been rapidly accelerating in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, over the last decade. According to the United Nations, homelessness can either be relative or absolute. Absolute homelessness describes people living in absence of proper physical shelter. Relative homelessness describes people living in poor conditions of health or security, including an absence of both personal safety and steady income despite having physical shelter to reside in. As of 2023, roughly 2,420 people in Vancouver are subject to one of these types of homelessness, or are transitioning between them.

Multifaith Housing Initiative (MHI) is a charitable organization based in Ottawa, Canada. MHI's mission is to provide and promote affordable housing, to encourage harmonious relations amongst tenants of diverse backgrounds, and to mobilize the resources of faith communities and others for these purposes. This membership-based organization represents a working model of interfaith peace and collaboration at the local level in the effort to fight homelessness. MHI's goal is to provide secure and affordable housing because through this individuals as well as the community benefit from improved health outcomes, educational achievement, social inclusion, and economic opportunities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard County Housing and Community Development</span>

Howard County Housing is the umbrella organization for the Howard County Department of Housing and Community Development and the Howard County Housing Commission. The Department is Howard County Government’s housing agency, and the Commission is a public housing authority and non-profit. Both have boards that meet monthly.

The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) is a national not-for-profit independent network organization that funds, conducts, disseminates, and tailors research on housing, homelessness, cities and urban policy. The organisation's funding is received from the Australian Government, state and territory governments, as well as contributions from partner universities. As the only organisation in Australia dedicated exclusively to housing, homelessness, cities and related urban research, AHURI is a unique venture. Through its national network of university partners, AHURI undertakes research that supports policy development at all levels of government, assists industry in improving practice and informs the broader community. In 2022, AHURI had nine research partners across Australia.

References