Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a federal crown corporation, is Canada’s national housing agency. We are responsible for housing programs, policy development, offering data, information and insights on housing markets, undertaking research and supporting indigenous housing. In 2017, we launched the National Housing Strategy (NHS), a 10-year, $40-billion plan to expand and sustain the supply of affordable housing across Canada. A year later, we announced a new corporate strategy and ambitious aspiration to ensure that: “By 2030, everyone in Canada has a home that they can afford and that meets their needs.” Having a safe and affordable home can help Canadians remain employed, access health care, save for the future, do better in school and participate more fully in society. Housing affordability supports a stronger, safer Canada marked by sustainable economic growth and social inclusion. Improving Indigenous housing is a priority of our National Housing Strategy (NHS) as nearly 20% of Indigenous people live in housing that needs major repairs, and 20% live in housing that’s overcrowded (see article).
Aligned with CMHC’s aspiration, our Research division has a new three-year research plan to deliver high priority research in the areas of housing supply, housing needs, and housing finance, with a focus on underserved populations and regions. We are also leading research to better understand the impact of NHS investments in affordable housing on the lives of Canadians. To accelerate affordability, we are looking for new opportunities to mobilize and exchange knowledge to help shape decisions taken by key government partners, industry stakeholders, and community-based organizations working on housing. CMHC Research joined CBR Canada to expand our networks and build new relationships with organizations undertaking community-based research across Canada. We see great opportunity to learn more about community-based housing research methodologies as our Research division explores ways to apply gender-based analysis (GBA+) and embed lived experience of housing need more fully into our research over the next three years. We look to forward to learning more about CBR Canada and its members, the network over the coming years, and, exploring opportunities to collaborate on research that can help everyone living in Canada to access housing that they can afford and meets their needs.