OTTAWA, July 4, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) welcomes new accountability measures in the Affordable Housing Framework for 2011-14 announced today in Ottawa by Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Housing.
The new framework for years three to five (2011 to 2014) of the Affordable Housing Initiative (AHI) contains a landmark measure calling on signatories to "be accountable to the public for the use of public funds through an open and transparent process which identifies expected outcomes, measures performance, reports on results to the public and provides for follow-up."
"Canada's housing co-ops have lobbied for an accountability framework that links housing spending to measurable reductions in housing need—and the government has listened," said CHF Canada Acting Executive Director Dale Reagan. "Now, it's up to all levels of government to ensure that the framework targets housing need reduction across all demographics - including seniors, working families, single parents and new Canadians - in their respective jurisdictions."
"CHF Canada anticipates that the new framework, which includes measures to increase housing supply and streamline program delivery, will help to address Canada's shortage of co-operative housing by building more co-op homes," said Reagan. "We hope that all governments will increasingly rely on co-operatives as a proven way to develop strong and affordable communities."
In 2009, CHF Canada released a report (based on 2006 CMHC data) titled The Dunning Report: Dimensions of Core Housing Need in Canada -Second Edition. The comprehensive report documented the 1.5 million Canadian households (the equivalent of nearly four million Canadians) in core housing need across Canada.
CHF Canada is the national voice of the Canadian co-operative housing movement. Its members include over 900 non-profit housing co-operatives and other organizations across Canada. More than a quarter of a million Canadians live in housing co-ops, in every province and territory.
