Create a housing strategy.

What success looks like

Hundreds of thousands more Canadians have access to affordable housing.

Government's narrative on progress

On November 22, 2017 the government announced a 10-year, $40 billion National Housing Strategy (NHS) that will help reduce homelessness and improve the availability and quality of housing for Canadians in need, giving more Canadians a place to call home. The NHS sets clear and ambitious goals to reduce chronic homelessness by 50%; reduce or eliminate housing needs for 530,000 households; create 100,000 new housing units; repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units; and protect 385,000 households from losing an affordable place to live. Through new initiatives like the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, the Federal Lands Initiative and the Canada Community Housing Initiative, the NHS will create a new generation of housing that is sustainable, accessible, mixed-income, and mixed-use. It will build housing that is fully integrated into the community—close to transit, close to work, and close to public services. In Budget 2019, the government proposes to introduce new legislation which will require the federal government to maintain a National Housing Strategy that prioritizes the housing needs of the most vulnerable, and will require regular reporting to Parliament on progress toward the Strategy’s goals and outcomes. Expanded and reformed federal homelessness programming, a new Canada Housing Benefit, and a human rights-based approach to housing will ensure that the National Housing Strategy prioritizes the most vulnerable Canadians, including women and children fleeing domestic violence, Indigenous peoples, seniors, people with disabilities, those dealing with mental health and addiction issues, racialized communities, veterans and young adults. Since announcing the Strategy, many new initiatives have been launched, including the National Housing Co-Investment Fund that is expected to help build 60,000 new units and repair or renew 240,000 existing units of affordable and community housing through contributions and low- cost loans. A new multilateral Housing Partnership Framework was endorsed in April 2018 by federal, provincial and territorial Ministers responsible for housing (except Québec), setting the foundation for federal, provincial and territorial governments to work together toward achieving a long-term shared vision for housing. Under the multilateral Housing Partnership Framework, more than $7.7 billion in new federal funding over the next decade will flow to provinces and territories through bilateral agreements to support the stock of community housing and address regional priorities. As at March 19, 2019, seven provinces and territories have signed bilateral agreements.

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.