Eight co-operatives in Canada will receive CA$423m in funding from the Co-operative Housing Development Program (CHDP) to create 837 new homes.
Three projects received funding agreements in March, with other recipients to be announced in the following months.
The three were considered to be the most advanced in their development process, and will receive $81m between them to build 206 units of new co-op housing.
Among those selected is Upper Hammonds Plains Housing Co-operative in Nova Scotia, which received $61.2m for 136 row house units, primarily dedicated to Black Canadians.
The project was developed through a partnership between the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust and the Upper Hammonds Plains Housing Co-operative, and intends to not only provide housing but also foster community engagement and cultural connection.
Similarly, Linden Housing Co-operative in Perth, Ontario, will receive $12.3m to create 38 units, including 36 newly constructed homes and two units within an existing house. This will include eigh accessible units and will target eight units for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness, providing housing to those most in need.
Related: Canadians see co-ops as part of the solution to housing crisis
Lastly, Valley Roots Housing Association, the Highbury Road project in New Minas, Nova Scotia will receive $7.1m for 32 homes featuring a passive solar design to achieve net-zero performance.
“The federal government has a strong role to play in building non-market housing to provide more affordable housing options for Canadians, and this includes co-operative housing,“ said housing minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (pictured: Getty Images). “These first projects show how co-ops can provide affordable, inclusive, and sustainable homes that respond directly to local needs.”
A $1.5bn initiative, CHDP is the largest federal investment in new co-op housing development in more than 30 years and was co-designed with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada.
Co-ops were able to apply for the first application round ran between 15 July to 15 September 2024. Additional intake windows will be announced in 2025.
Canada has over 2,200 non-profit housing co‑ops, which are home to about a quarter of a million people in over 90,000 households.
