2024 – 25 Funded Projects
Advancing Inclusive and Affordable Housing for People with Developmental
Disabilities
This lab aims to address the significant housing challenges faced by people
with developmental disabilities who often have low incomes and rely on
government assistance. Despite past efforts, there has been little progress
in increasing the supply of deeply affordable, inclusive housing due to a
lack of coordinated, system-wide approaches. This lab will bring together
policymakers, housing developers, financial institutions, philanthropic
organizations and people with lived experience to co-develop a replicable
framework. At its core will be an innovative partnership model and adaptable
funding strategy designed to fast-track the creation of deeply affordable
inclusive housing. By building strong cross-sector collaborations and
designing scalable solutions, the project will not only deliver inclusive
housing for people with disabilities but also contribute to a broader
increase in affordable housing supply. The goal is to significantly
accelerate development over the next 1 to 3 years and provide a model that
can be applied in communities across Canada.
AI-Powered Toolkit for Transforming Faith-based Lands into Affordable
Housing – Montréal, Quebec
This lab helps faith communities transform underused lands into affordable
housing by using geospatial mapping and AI-driven models to identify
development-ready sites. It provides design concepts, 3D models and best
practices to guide land conversion by analyzing zoning, service access and
housing needs. The project offers a replicable solution, enabling
faith-based groups to create affordable housing while sustaining their
social missions.
Bridging Housing Gaps for Racialized Women in Crisis
This lab explores new ways to meet the housing needs of racialized women in
the Waterloo region, especially those moving on from crisis situations. As
opposed to traditional development, this lab explores a community-led,
asset-based approach to create safe, culturally appropriate housing with
wrap-around supports. The lab will use a scattered-site model, partnering
with local homeowners to add units and help women integrate into welcoming
neighbourhoods. Mid-term housing options with tailored, culturally sensitive
services will help bridge the gap between shelters and permanent housing,
reducing repeat crises and promoting long-term stability. The lab also
supports local organizations not usually involved in housing by giving them
tools and partnerships to help expand community-based solutions. Recognizing
the strong link between housing and health, it brings together different
sectors to support overall well-being. This innovative, community-driven
model reflects cultural identities, fosters belonging and offers a
sustainable way to close housing and service gaps for racialized women.
Building for Recovery
This lab focuses on creating abstinence-based recovery homes that provide
transitional housing for individuals recovering from addiction and
homelessness. The goal is to develop a model for recovery housing that can
be replicated in different communities. By using social innovation
strategies and collaborating with a range of partners, the lab will identify
key opportunities for securing resources, funding and improving operations.
It aims to redefine how recovery housing addresses both homelessness and
addiction, making these solutions more sustainable and scalable for
long-term impact. The proposed “recovery campus” model will
include up to 6 new homes, housing 8 to 10 residents each, resulting in 60
transitional housing beds.
Building Scalable, Localized Models for Affordable Housing
Development
This lab takes a community-focused, step-by-step approach to tackling
barriers in affordable housing. It will introduce innovative funding options
including a zero-interest bridge financing solution, providing early-stage
support to help with pre-construction hurdles such as zoning and permits,
making it easier and less risky for housing providers to get started. The
project also brings together a task force, advisory committee and community
of practice to guide decisions, share knowledge and build skills across
sectors. By focusing on local needs and cross-sector collaboration, this lab
aims to create affordable housing solutions that are inclusive, sustainable,
and easy to adapt in different communities. Three pilot projects will
receive early funding through this lab to help them complete key steps
before construction, like permits and approvals. This support will prepare
them to apply for larger funding from CMHC and other sources.
Community Interest Company: A New Investment Model for Community Housing
Solutions – Halifax, Nova Scotia
This lab aims to unlock large-scale capital for affordable housing in Canada
by exploring the use of a Community Interest Company (CIC) model. A CIC can
balance affordable housing needs with investor interests, attracting private
investment and reducing costs. The project will develop a strategic plan and
CIC prototypes to scale housing projects, build sector capacity and drive
sustainable growth.
Cooperative Finance for Community Homes: Leveraging Existing Credit Union
Tools and Capacity to Support CLT Growth
This lab will explore how credit unions can create new financial tools to
help community land trusts grow. Community land trusts often struggle to get
enough funding to buy and hold land for affordable housing. The lab will
bring together credit unions, community land trusts and financial experts to
design and test solutions like simplified community bonds, equity-like
loans, and blended finance options. These tools aim to close the funding gap
that community land trusts face, especially for financing that doesn’t
require regular repayments or can sit behind a mortgage. By working
together, the partners will ensure the tools are practical, scalable and
easy for credit unions to implement. The most promising ideas will be tested
in real-world situations and shared widely with other housing organizations.
The goal is to make it easier for community land trusts to acquire property
and create more permanent affordable housing.
Expanding capacity and capital for affordable housing
intermediaries
This lab aims to connect key players — investors, capital intermediaries and
community housing providers — to unlock new funding for affordable housing.
It will engage a wide national network of institutional investors, including
foundations, high-net-worth individuals, faith-based groups, and portfolio
managers, many of whom want to support housing but lack a clear pathway. A
major barrier to building and preserving community housing is access to
capital. This lab sees specialized intermediaries as a missing link —
organizations that pool investment products and direct funds toward housing
projects. It explores how to grow and strengthen these intermediaries,
making them ready to raise and deploy capital effectively. The lab also
looks at how to use technology to expand access to impact investment
projects and connect funders with housing providers. By building these
bridges, the lab aims to create a more coordinated, scalable approach to
financing community housing across Canada.
Factory-Built Affordable Housing – Toronto, Ontario
This lab accelerates affordable housing delivery by streamlining site
readiness and using factory-built construction. It focuses on creating a
prototype for preparing public land for modular housing and developing a
roadmap to scale this approach. By fostering collaboration among municipal
departments, community housing agencies, builders and landowners, this lab
offers a replicable model to deliver high-quality affordable housing faster
and more efficiently.
Financing Community Led Housing Projects
Community-led housing projects — like co-ops, land trusts, co-housing and
small non-profits — are built by local people responding to local needs.
These efforts already contribute to the housing supply on a small scale, but
in places like the UK and EU, community-led housing plays a much bigger
role. What’s missing in Canada is a reliable, tailored financing
system. Right now, community-led housing groups often depend on expensive
loans or unpredictable grants and donations, which limits their ability to
grow and innovate. This lab will develop a roadmap for creating a dedicated
community-led housing financing stream in Canada. It will bring together
people with experience in housing development and finance, gather data on
the real risks and opportunities and explore how to build a supportive
financial ecosystem. The goal is to unlock the potential of community-led
housing to build more housing for those in need and help address
Canada’s housing crisis in a more sustainable, community-driven way.
First Nations National Playbook for Housing
This lab will support First Nations organizations and partners in creating a
housing approach grounded in First Nations ways of knowing. It will lead to
the development of a national playbook that guides how housing policy,
programs and processes are designed and delivered for First Nations
communities. The playbook offers practical guidance for governments, private
sectors partners, non-profits and First Nations themselves, helping them
align their efforts with First Nations perspectives and priorities. It also
includes an implementation blueprint showing how to apply the approach
within existing funding programs or as a new standalone model. While there
are housing programs and policies for First Nations in Canada today, this
framework will offer a culturally grounded and flexible foundation that can
enhance current systems and shape future ones.
Forward Together: Pooling Community Housing Resources for Greater Impact –
Ottawa, Ontario
This lab aims to scale community housing by helping providers pool their
land and resources into a shared portfolio, enabling growth and more
affordable housing. It will develop practical solutions and pilot a
prototype in Ottawa with local partners through a co-design process. The
goal is to create an implementable and replicable model that preserves
existing housing and supports new development of more affordable housing.
Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing – Ottawa,
Ontario
This lab aims to increase funding for non-market housing providers by
reducing the risks of community investment. The lab will use a 2-part
approach. The first part will explore the concerns of individual, group and
institutional investors in Ottawa, Winnipeg and Halifax to understand
cultural, policy and behavioural challenges. By addressing these barriers,
the lab can unlock funding for community housing and strengthen local
economies across Canada.
Integrated Housing for Newcomer Success: A Rural Settlement Innovation
Model
This lab aims to improve how newcomers settle in rural Newfoundland and
Labrador by creating a new model of affordable housing. It will test
specifically designed rental units that include on-site services like
language classes, employment support and health care. By combining housing
with key services, the lab helps newcomers feel supported and connected,
making it easier to adjust to life in their new community. It also tackles
common rural challenges like isolation, high housing costs and lack of
nearby services. Virtual reality will be used to design and test the housing
and service spaces, allowing newcomers and other stakeholders to give
feedback before anything is built. The result will be a practical, scalable
housing model that can be used in other rural areas to support newcomer
success.
Mobilizing Realtors for Affordable Housing Solutions
This lab sims to create a new path to affordable housing by combining
community action, behavioral insights and technology. It unlocks untapped
local resources through 3 key innovations:
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a community investment model that empowers residents to invest using
vehicles like Community Housing Bond’s and Social Purpose REITs, and
a realtor network that turns 1,500 real estate offices into advocates for
housing solutions like secondary suites and multiplexes; Together, these
tools form a powerful, self-sustaining system to boost affordable housing,
support BC Housing’s $80K secondary suite initiative, and
significantly increase the rate of adoption of accessory dwelling units.
National Community Bond for Affordable Housing – Toronto, Ontario
Building on the success of local bonds, this lab aims to develop a
ready-to-implement national community bond to fund affordable housing across
Canada. It will support housing providers of all sizes in developing
projects tailored to local needs by providing early-stage capital. This
initiative can unlock new funding, stimulate development and create a robust
pipeline of affordable housing nationwide.
Preserving Chinatown’s Affordable Housing – Toronto, Ontario
This lab seeks to create a culturally competent housing strategy that
combines traditional Chinatown models with modern community land trust
approaches to preserve aging affordable housing. By developing and testing a
tailored acquisition and governance model in Toronto’s Chinatown, it
aims to preserve existing affordable housing while ensuring it remains
community-led and culturally rooted. This scalable approach could protect
and expand culturally significant affordable housing, setting a precedent
for similar communities across Canada.
Scaling Affordable Housing Options for Justice-Involved Youth
This lab aims to create effective, affordable housing solutions for
justice-involved youth with complex needs by identifying the core
requirements for success, and then testing and scaling what works. Rather
than relying on fragmented programs, it brings together youth, housing
providers, service organizations and communities to co-design housing that
is viable, scalable and sustainable. During the lab, at least 10 new units
with wrap-around supports will be delivered in Belleville within a single
building. In Ottawa, over 100 units will be created by scaling the
successful Operation Come Home intermediary model, which is already
operating with 30 units. The lab addresses key system gaps — such as youth
being released without housing due to abrupt court discharges — and focuses
on where systems interact or break down. By prototyping diverse solutions,
the lab builds a practical roadmap for housing justice-involved youth, even
in the absence of clear cross-sector accountability.
A Scalable Model for 2SLGBTQIA+ Senior Housing and Care
This lab is a national initiative to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors
by creating a new, scalable model that connects affordable housing,
healthcare and social supports. It will contribute significantly to both the
creation and improvement of housing units tailored to meet the needs of
2SLGBTQIA+ seniors. It tackles issues like social isolation, housing
insecurity and lack of inclusive care by bringing together diverse partners
with deep experience across sectors. What makes this effort unique is its
collaborative, human-centred approach, designed with and for seniors, and
its focus on real, actionable solutions. By combining research, lived
experience and practical tools, the lab not only supports 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors
but also builds on a model that can be adapted for other communities across
Canada.
Scalable Partnerships Between Mid-Sized Housing Providers and Housing
Developments – Ottawa, Ontario
This lab aims to help community housing providers overcome financial and
structural barriers to build more affordable housing. By collaborating with
private developers, legal experts and financial institutions, it will
explore partnership models to make mixed-income housing development more
feasible. Partner teams in Halifax, Cape Breton and Ottawa will test
adaptable frameworks and tools to help community housing providers scale
efforts, improve sustainability and expand affordable housing nationwide.
Scaling Up Canada’s Community Housing Sector: Bundling Assets and
Building Capacity – Toronto, Ontario
This lab introduces a model for community housing providers to pool assets
regionally, enabling easier financing and development of large-scale
affordable housing while maintaining independence. Using 3 diverse models in
operation the lab will co-develop solution porotype that is bilingual,
multicultural and scalable, leading to more affordable housing . By bundling
resources, organizations can boost financial capacity, secure government
sites and create mixed-income housing for lasting social impact.
Scalable Zoning Reform for Faith-based Affordable Housing – Toronto
Ontario
This lab seeks to reform restrictive zoning laws that hinder community and
faith-based organizations from developing affordable housing on their land.
It will create flexible zoning solutions to reduce barriers and speed up
approvals by collaborating with planners, policymakers and stakeholders.
With engagement from 10 municipalities, the project aims to unlock underused
community lands for affordable housing, addressing the crisis while
preserving their community purpose.
Solutions for Culturally Responsive Newcomer Housing
This lab explores how community-serving organizations can be involved in
designing housing models that better support diverse communities. It goes
beyond just building homes by integrating services like health and social
care. The lab focuses on understanding the experiences of newcomers to
design a more complete community-oriented housing model that is culturally
responsive and enhances tenant well-being. It encourages collaboration
between municipal governments, housing developers and community
organizations to break down barriers and align resources. By involving
community expertise, housing solutions are tailored to the real needs of
diverse populations. The lab will center newcomer voices and use insights
from community organizations to ensure solutions will reflect cultural,
social and economic needs. Based in Edmonton, it aims to develop scalable
models and actionable insights that can be applied across Canada, tackling
issues of affordability, diversity and inclusion in housing.
Sparking the Co-Living Market to Increase Affordable Housing Options for
Priority Populations
This lab aims to expand affordable, community-oriented housing units by
designing prototypes for co-living options in Canada. Co-living, where
residents share space, costs and community, has proven successful in Europe
by increasing density, reducing isolation and offering more flexible,
affordable housing. In Canada, however, co-living faces barriers like
unclear demand, financing challenges and a lack of support systems. This lab
brings together developers, housing providers and community members to
identify the requirements needed to make co-living viable and scalable. It
supports pilot projects and integrates co-living into future developments.
As more people, including older adults, seek alternatives to living alone or
in institutional care, co-living offers a middle ground: affordable,
connected living in their communities. By coordinating across sectors and
focusing on practical solutions, this lab aims to unlock a co-living market
in Canada that meets the needs of a changing and growing renter population.
The lab explores new construction of co-living units as well as retrofits of
larger 3-bedroom units.
Streamlining the Path to Partnership with Community Housing Providers and
Private Market Developers – Toronto, Ontario
This lab aims to help community housing providers acquire high-quality land
from private developers to build affordable homes. By creating win-win
partnerships, financial models and clear agreements, it facilitates land
transfers for housing near essential services. This approach strengthens
housing providers, unlocks valuable land and increases the supply of
affordable housing across Canada.
Unlocking Family Homes for Supportive Housing with Community Land Trusts –
Kingston, Ontario
This lab aims to develop a housing model that addresses the growth
challenges of community land trusts and the shortage of supportive housing
for people with disabilities. By designing a prototype solution, it will
explore how families can contribute properties to the community land trusts
under terms that ensure permanent supportive housing. With legal, financial
and operational frameworks, this model has the potential to scale across
Canada, providing long-term housing solutions for those in need.
2021 Funded Projects
2SLGBTQIA+ Seniors Co-living Apartment
This Solutions Lab uses an innovative approach to better understand the unique
life experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors. By better understanding their needs
and the systems that influence their lived experience, this Lab will
co-develop innovative and supportive solutions to housing for 2SLGBTQIA+
seniors.
Seniors' Hidden Housing Solutions
Many seniors are “over housed” in single-detached homes that are
unaffordable and hard to maintain. This Solutions Lab will explore housing
solutions for in-need seniors through home sharing, secondary suites and
accessory dwellings. It will analyze challenges holistically by looking at
issues such as social isolation, risk of homelessness, affordability and per
capita greenhouse gas emissions. Best practices will inform the lab to
co-develop policy and program solutions across British Columbia and Canada.
Green Violin Veterans Village Lab
This Solutions Lab will explore increasing the housing supply for low-income
veterans who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness. This project
will co-develop a faster and more affordable solution for housing and build an
innovative modular tiny home community infill project.
Social Financing for Social Inclusion
This Solutions Lab will co-develop solutions for social isolation and the lack
of inclusive housing options for people with developmental disabilities
through a social financing model. This project aims to implement its
solution(s) on a large, cross-country scale using community connectors or
facilitators in existing housing.
Understanding and Estimating Hidden Homelessness in Saskatoon
This Solutions Lab will co-develop a framework that strengthens decision-maker
understanding of hidden homelessness in Saskatoon. It will bring together
people with lived experience and service providers with existing relationships
with people experiencing homelessness. The project team will develop a
framework for policy and decision-making that addresses the self-identified
needs of hidden homeless populations.
Transforming Policy Responses to Homeless Encampments in Canada:
Implementing a Rights-Based, GBA+ Approach
The National Protocol on Homeless Encampments in Canada – A Human Rights
Approach Protocol is a series of rights-based principles. It is being
increasingly used by municipalities, stakeholder groups and encampment
residents. This Solutions Lab will co-develop an effective approach to
fostering inter- and intra-governmental collaboration in response to
encampments. It will build on the Protocol and implement it at the local
level.
Mechanisms for Funnelling Institutional ESG funds into Affordable Housing
Development Projects
This Solutions Lab will co-develop a platform that provides a consistent,
comparable and transparent funding market for affordable housing projects. It
uses environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria to evaluate desired
environmental, social and financial outcomes. It will enable the rapid scaling
of private and institutional capital flows to projects and create stronger
partnerships between developers, lenders, investors, regulators and the
community.
African Canadian Affordable Housing
This Solutions Lab will co-develop and deliver a more appropriate affordable
housing solution for African Canadian communities. It will focus on creating a
multigenerational affordable housing program that provides a traditional and
sustainable environment for community members. It will give residents the
necessary tools and support for success. Solutions will be transferable to
communities with shared features.
2020 Funded Projects
A Home in a Neighbourhood Where I Belong
This Solutions Lab connects stakeholders from different sectors with people
with disabilities and their families. Participants identify challenges to
building inclusive housing. They share their knowledge and co-create and test
solutions for creating inclusive, affordable housing.
Nunavut Condominium Corporation Insurance Solutions Lab
This Solutions Lab works with our partners to identify and engage key
stakeholders exploring relevant issues and challenges with denied or expensive
building insurance. It also identifies and prototypes potential solutions to
this problem. The goal is to prevent loss of the structures and continue to
house vulnerable populations.
Affordable Housing for Social Inclusion
This Solutions Lab creates innovative, inclusive housing options for
individuals with developmental disabilities nationwide. Through a
collaborative process, potential solutions will be piloted. A key tool to be
built is a detailed journey/experience map of the process for developing new
housing that could embed the principles of "reverse inclusion".
Creating Home Together: Supporting Women+ Through Housing Transitions
This Solutions Lab creates a roadmap on solutions to remove barriers to
shelters and other services in the homelessness and violence against women
sectors. Women and transgender people with lived expertise and nationwide
partners will participate in workshops. The ideas and materials generated will
help to develop adaptable housing and support solutions.
Housing Journeys Reimagined: Toward a Supportive Affordable Homeownership
Opportunity
The Solutions Lab aims to introduce a new supportive, affordable ownership
model that can help end chronic homelessness and generational poverty. The
replication of this model across Canada would help decrease chronic
homelessness by increasing options for affordable, stable housing. This
approach could also reduce returns to homelessness by developing a wealth- and
equity-generating opportunity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Housing through an Autism Lens: A Pathway from Crisis to Solutions
The Solutions Lab develops a pathway to independent and affordable living for
autistic adults. It includes an integrated set of flexible housing-related
supports and services (based on functional ability and the spectrum of Autism
Spectrum Disorder or ASD needs). It also proposes actual brick and mortar
solutions.
Building with Mission
This Solutions Lab tries to reduce pressures on hospitals and long-term care
homes by determining and addressing the causes. The key is to impact social
determinants of health and creating housing based on local needs. The goal is
to create a collaborative playbook by documenting insights and learnings to
develop affordable and supportive housing campuses.
Developing easy-to-use community decision-making tools to help achieve
National Housing Strategy Goals
This Solutions lab opens the perceived black box of housing data to be easily
used by decision makers. This project will be completed through a series of
online workshops. The result will be a better understanding of the initial
problems that will allow us to provide and support evidence-based consensus on
solutions. It will also help teams to assess end-results for accountability,
and identify further innovative opportunities.
2019 Funded Projects
Medicine Hat Systems Transformation Solutions Lab
The Solutions Lab will examine how to co-design a Systems Transformation
Initiative that results in an integrated prevention, homelessness, housing,
corrections, and health systems design and transformation process.
Balanced Housing Lab
The Solutions Lab will examine the emerging housing issues facing
middle-income earners to be able to live and work within the City of North
Vancouver, Squamish Nation, and District of West Vancouver.
Indigenous Housing Solutions Lab
The Solutions Lab will examine solutions to answer the question: What if we
could co-create Indigenous homes to be sources of health, wealth and
connection in tune with culture and the environment?
Surfacing our Strengths
The Solutions Lab will examine cross-sectoral, culturally appropriate,
person-centered responses to housing needs and experiences of homelessness for
women+. This includes women and people of marginalized gender identities
(herein: “women+”) experiencing homelessness – including
women+ and children fleeing violence.
Indigenous Housing and Home-Lands Solutions Lab
The Solutions Lab will examine the economic development and employment
opportunity related to a growing Indigenous population with legally recognized
territorial assets and capital, and a need for housing.
Let’s Talk… Home and Community
The Solutions Lab will examine the Question: How might we promote social and
economic inclusion through a housing model with individuals with developmental
disabilities and newcomers to Canada by leveraging existing community assets
and hosting conversations for each group to co-design “good
community”?
From Prison to Homelessness: Ending a Perilous Trajectory
The Solutions Lab will examine how we can help increase the availability and
access to suitable housing for Canadians who leave the prison system, while
also providing opportunities for offenders to gain employment skills training
to improve their opportunities of finding meaningful employment.
Affordable Housing Hackathon Solutions Lab
The Solutions Lab will examine new and practical solutions to the construction
of more affordable housing stock by removing barriers and opening new paths
for innovation in planning, construction and regulation so that private
industry and the not-for-profit industry can meet the needs of the community.
Community Studios
The Solutions Lab will examine the creation of a new model of supportive and
shared modular housing.
Housing Financialization
(Directed Solutions Lab)
In partnership with the Social Innovation Institute, this directed Solutions
Lab will explore the financialization of housing.
2018 Funded Projects
Affordable Housing Renewal
The Solutions Lab will develop net zero or net-zero ready retrofit design
options and prototype 4 to 6 low-rise wood-frame multi-unit residential
buildings.