A new Housing Forum, announced Oct. 9 in Ottawa, will campaign for rental assistance from the federal government for low-income co-op households. Lead by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada), the Forum and its initiatives will help vulnerable Canadians access better housing options.

“It is encouraging to see such a diverse group come together today in our nation’s capital to collaborate on such a vitally important issue as housing,” said Anne Davidson, CHF Canada President, at the announcement. “Housing co-operatives will work with the Forum to help preserve Canada’s existing stock, including thousands of co-op homes for low-income people in our mixed-income co-operative communities.”

One campaign, in particular, known as “You Hold the Key – Fix the Co-op Housing Crunch,” will address co-op housing affordability threatened by expiring federal operating agreements. A variety of stakeholders have partnered on the Forum, including the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

“We are very pleased that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities has convened such an impressive group of stakeholders concerned about the housing challenges many Canadians face,” says Scott Jackson, CHF Canada’s Program Manager, National Communications. “We are also grateful for FCM’s leadership in addressing the ‘housing crunch’ faced by many low-income co-op members as federal housing agreements start to expire.”