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About 15% of the Canadian labour force is self-employed. The incomes of these workers may vary or be less predictable. For this reason, self-employed workers may have difficulty accessing mortgage financing.
Through the National Housing Strategy (NHS), we’re committed to addressing the housing needs of everyone in Canada. As a result, last year, we introduced measures to help self-employed Canadians access mortgage insurance more easily. Overall, in 2018, we provided mortgage insurance for more than 123,000 homebuyers, self-employed and otherwise, from communities across the country. Additionally, our securitization programs funded nearly 600,000 loans.
Using research to guide our efforts
Early in the year, we also released our groundbreaking report on the causes of increasing house prices. We concluded that measures designed to increase housing supply are likely to have the best results in addressing this problem.
Our mortgage insurance and securitization programs are still pillars of CMHC. However, we’ve been adapting to make sure we’re focused on achieving our objective of making housing accessible to everyone in Canada.
Programs to help the most vulnerable access housing
In 2018, as part of our work implementing NHS programs, we launched the $13.2-billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund. Thanks to the Co-Investment Fund, thousands of vulnerable Canadians will have better access to safe and affordable housing that meets their needs.
We also welcomed the commitment of an additional $1.25 billion in the federal budget toward the Rental Construction Financing initiative. This program offers low-cost loans to stimulate the creation of new rental housing.
Recruiting talent to prepare for the future
New opportunities create new demands. These new programs will create new work for us. In preparation, we launched the Multi-Unit Professionals Program. This new recruitment and training program has allowed us to attract, train and retain top multi-unit professionals.
Spencer W. Grigull, a participant of the Program: “The Multi-Unit Professionals Program has allowed me to learn about CMHC, meet new team members, and to develop a better understanding of how we all work together as one CMHC.”
We’re ensuring our people and programs continue to expand access to housing. This will help us ensure that, by 2030, everyone in Canada can have a home that they can afford and that meets their needs.
