Why Housing Matters

National Housing Day Message from the President of CMHC

“Why Housing Matters” is CMHC’s theme for 2019’s National Housing Day. We celebrate it with our clients and the Canadians we serve across the country. Today, we acknowledge the work done by hundreds of organizations and thousands of people ensuring everyone across Canada has the dignity of a home.

Today is also an opportunity to reflect on the magnitude of the goal we have set:

Bold it may be, but also audacious, noble and essential. We will need the support of many to reach this goal.

Helping more Canadians meet their housing needs

In the past few months, we have reached a number of accomplishments that will result in more affordable housing for Canadians:

• We launched the First-Time Home Buyers Incentive.
• Phase II of the Federal Community Housing Initiative is underway.
• The requirement for future governments to maintain a National Housing Strategy is now enshrined in law, as is our non-justiciable “right to housing”.
• We’ll soon have news about agreements with provinces and territories that will unlock more funding for community housing and provide direct benefits to low-income households.

Achieving housing affordability for all with the help of our partners

Our goal of housing affordability for all by 2030 is an aspiration for our country. We need to do more to ensure housing for all – and we cannot afford to act alone.

We want to mobilize the non-profit and co-operative housing sectors. We want to focus our combined energies with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, philanthropists, lenders, developers and social entrepreneurs on the future of housing.

Our goal is audacious – finding solutions for 1.7 million households in core housing need – and we need everyone’s support to achieve it. Because housing matters.

Please take a moment to:

• see how the National Housing Strategy is helping real people
• explore the various opportunities to get involved in finding innovative solutions to house Canadians in need

And also, please share your own thoughts on why housing matters on social media channels using hashtags #NationalHousingDay and #LetsTalkHousing.

For more information, follow us on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Join us at the 2020 National Housing Conference!

We need an ongoing solution-oriented national dialogue on housing. Starting on December 6th in Toronto, then in Vancouver on Feb 13th, and finally on April 17th in Toronto, The Globe and Mail and CMHC will curate events with speakers on emerging housing issues. Our event series will culminate at the National Housing Conference on May 12-13 in Ottawa.