GOVERNMENT OF CANADA SUPPORTS AFFORDABLE HOUSING SECTOR RESEARCH INITIATIVES

OTTAWA, ON, July 11, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, announced funding of over $1.7 million through the National Housing Strategy Research and Planning Fund for ten new research initiatives selected from applications across Canada. The fund, administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, allows recipients to address key information and knowledge gaps in National Housing Strategy (NHS) priority areas, to better understand the housing needs of Canada's most vulnerable populations including women and children, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, young adults and newcomers. The goal of the fund is to advance the NHS and support the development of evidence and research capacity within the affordable housing sector. 

Government of Canada Logo (CNW Group/Government of Canada)

The successful submissions include:

• Nowhere to Go - Gender Based Violence and Housing Insecurity in Ontario (ON)
• Supporting Indigenous Health and Wellness in the Journey Towards Home (BC)
• Accelerated Deep Energy Retrofit Planning Project for Affordable Public Housing (NS)
• Mobilizing the Indigenous Housing and Homelands Governance Toolkit (BC)
• Development practices that support and are inclusive of people experiencing homelessness / Pratiques d'aménagement solidaires et inclusives envers les personnes en situation d'itinérance (QC)
• Targeting Energy Efficiency to Improve Housing Affordability for Vulnerable Canadians (ON)
• A Roadmap for Net-Zero Energy Ready Residential Homes in Musqueam First Nation Community by 2050 (BC)
• Queer Identity and Housing – Co-Designing Holistic Housing Access with 2SLGBTQ+ Adults in Canada (ON)
• Understanding Alternative Housing Builds Using Localized Materials through an Indigenous Lens (ON)
• Building Home – Impacts of a Housing First model for Youth who Experience Mental Illness and Housing Instability (NS)

"Research is key to finding new, innovative approaches to help address Canada's housing challenges and make it easier for Canadians to find a home that meets their needs and that they can afford. We are excited to be supporting these projects and working with our partners to assess these barriers through the research and data they provide. Adequate housing is a foundation for Canadians to build better lives for themselves and to contribute and share in the prosperity of our country." - The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion 

Quick facts:

• The National Housing Strategy Research and Planning Fund provides support to not-for-profit organizations, registered charities, Indigenous organizations and Indigenous governments for housing-related research.
• The fund helps promote interest, involvement and capacity building in housing research outside of government. It supports the development of evidence and highly focused expertise within the affordable housing sector to understand and overcome housing challenges, particularly for vulnerable populations.
• The fund provides financial support for research through four different streams:
• Planning Activities (up to $50,000) for initiatives that support the planning of research activities to help ensure sound methodology and impactful results.
• Individual Research Projects (up to $100,000) for initiatives that address specific knowledge and information gaps.
• Programs of Research (up to $250,000) for initiatives that include multiple projects, conducted over a period of time, on a particular topic or issue.
• Knowledge Mobilization (up to $50,000) for initiatives undertaken to communicate research results and help translate research findings into action.
• The Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest more than $82+ billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.

Additional information:

• As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
• To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, please visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
• For more information on Government of Canada housing initiatives: Housing Canada

CMHC Research and Planning Fund
Selected Submissions for 2023

Selected Submission	Partners	Project   Location	CMHC Funding Eligibility
Nowhere to Go – Gender Based Violence and Housing Insecurity in Ontario   Addressing the knowledge gap about housing and gender-based violence (GBV) while offering an understanding of pathways for people affected by GBV in the Ontario region.	Lead organization:      •     Canadian Centre for Housing Rights    Partner organizations:      •     The Joint Chair in Women's Studies (University of Ottawa and Carleton University)       •     WomanACT Canadian Women's Foundation	Ontario	$100,000
Supporting Indigenous Health and Wellness in the Journey Towards Home   Addressing the housing needs of vulnerable Indigenous residents of Kelowna through research that explores data, best practices and connection with stakeholders and people with lived experience.	Lead organization:      •     Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society   Partner organizations:      •     Urban Matters CCC      •     Journey Home City of Kelowna	British Columbia	$187,500
Accelerated Deep Energy Retrofit Planning Project for Affordable Public Housing   Developing strategies and expediting the process for housing renewal in Nova Scotia by examining EnerGuide ratings and assessing factors like total cost of ownership, tenant comfort, building science and a variety of other measures.	Lead organization:      •     Clean Foundation    Partner organization:      •     Volta Research	Nova Scotia	$139,850
Mobilizing the Indigenous Housing and Homelands Governance Toolkit   Implementing, adapting and scaling research to address the specific issue of First Nation housing developments around governance practices and institutional arrangements that respect the collective nature and responsibility of Indigenous lands.	Lead organization:      •     Ecotrust Canada   Partner organizations:      •     Aboriginal Savings Corporation of Canada Xeni Gwet'in First      •     Nation Nuxalk Nation Catherine      •     Donnelly Foundation	British Columbia	$50,000
Development Practices that Support and are Inclusive of People Experiencing Homelessness   Improving and sharing knowledge on inclusive development practices that contribute to the well-being of people experiencing homelessness.	Lead organization:      •     Architecture Sans Frontières Québec   Partner organizations:      •     Université de Montréal      •     Université du Québec à Montréal      •     MITACS      •     United Way Centraide      •     Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee	Quebec	$250,000
Targeting Energy Efficiency to Improve Housing Affordability for Vulnerable Canadians   Exploring "energy poverty" in Canada and addressing the knowledge gap of vulnerable Canadians who are at a disadvantage in their ability to implement energy efficient housing upgrades due to their unique needs and challenges.	Lead organization:      •     Create Climate Equity   Partner organizations:      •     Efficiency Canada      •     McConnell Foundation      •     Royal Roads University      •     McGill University      •     University of Toronto      •     Scarborough      •     University of Prince Edward Island	Ontario	$180,295
A Roadmap for Net-Zero Energy Ready Residential Homes in Musqueam First Nation Community by 2050    Conducting research to establish a series of comprehensive deep energy retrofit roadmaps towards net-zero energy/emissions for the selected existing houses on Musqueam First Nation Reserve by 2050.	Lead organization:      •     Musqueam Indian Band   Partner organizations:      •     British Columbia Institute of Technology       •     BC Housing	British Columbia	$247,375
Queer Identity and Housing – Co-Designing Holistic Housing Access with 2SLGBTQ+ Adults in Canada   Exploring facilitators and barriers to 2SLBGTQ+ identified adults with challenges accessing holistic housing, from emerging adulthood to older age groups.	Lead organization:      •     Social Research and Demonstration Corporation  Partner organizations:      •     Canadian Observatory on Homelessness      •     MENTOR Canada	Ontario	$249,588
Understanding Alternative Housing Builds Using Localized Materials through an Indigenous Lens   Understanding differences in costs and durability for the design and construction of housing in various Northern regions, while evaluating cultural connection to these specific types of housing for Indigenous communities.	Lead organization:      •     Temiskaming Native Women's Support Group   Partner organizations:      •     Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network	Ontario	$250,000
Building Home – Impacts of a Housing First Model for Youth Who Experience Mental Illness and Housing Instability   Capturing and sharing knowledge that is representative of the lived experience for youth in Saint John, New Brunswick to address the impacts of Housing First on youth housing stability and mental health.	Lead organization:      •     Teen Resource Centre    Partner organizations:      •     Saint John Learning Exchange       •     HOME-RL	Nova Scotia	$90,000

SOURCE Government of Canada

Media contacts: Shiraz Keushgerian, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]