About This Lab
Led in collaboration with community housing organizations, the Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing Lab aims to strengthen the ability of the non-market housing sector to attract community and institutional investment—ultimately helping preserve and expand affordable housing under community ownership. With the financial support of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), this Solutions Lab project is working to create replicable financing models for community-led housing and a trusted framework that encourages broader investment participation.
This Solutions Lab brings together housing providers, policy leaders, finance experts, and community investors to address these challenges. Through collaborative design, knowledge exchange, and prototyping, the Lab seeks to create a supportive environment for CHOs to scale their work and for investors to confidently participate in community wealth-building and housing affordability.
How might we create a trusted environment that encourages place-based institutional and private investment in community wealth and affordable housing?
Lab Timeline and Activities
This 18 month project runs from early 2025 through mid-2026, and includes:
-
Facilitated workshops and community housing roundtables
-
Development and testing of financial models for scaling non-market housing acquisition
-
Stakeholder engagement strategies to foster trust and attract investment
-
Shared learning and resource creation for CHOs and sector stakeholders
-
Policy and systems mapping to identify levers for scale
By equipping CHOs with the tools and models they need—and by building confidence among investors—the Lab will contribute to increasing the share of non-market housing in Canada, helping to close the affordable housing gap for future generations.
The Problem This Lab is Addressing
Community Housing Organizations (CHOs) and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) across Canada are at the forefront of addressing the housing affordability crisis by reclaiming housing from the speculative market. These groups work to raise community capital, often through tools like community bonds, to acquire and manage housing units that remain affordable in perpetuity. However, the sector faces systemic barriers to scaling: limited access to capital, a lack of supportive infrastructure, and investor hesitation despite growing interest.
What we are aiming to produce
-
Prototyped and tested, ready to implement models of:
-
Ways to:
-
Empower CHOs and Investors
-
Reduce Barriers to new Investors
-
Shift the narrative toward community-driven investment
-
-
Replicable financing models for community-led housing projects
-
A trusted framework that broadens investment participation
A 2025-2026 Solutions Lab
Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing
About This Lab
Led in collaboration with community housing organizations, the Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing Lab aims to strengthen the ability of the non-market housing sector to attract community and institutional investment—ultimately helping preserve and expand affordable housing under community ownership. With the financial support of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), this Solutions Lab project is working to create replicable financing models for community-led housing and a trusted framework that encourages broader investment participation.
This Solutions Lab brings together housing providers, policy leaders, finance experts, and community investors to address these challenges. Through collaborative design, knowledge exchange, and prototyping, the Lab seeks to create a supportive environment for CHOs to scale their work and for investors to confidently participate in community wealth-building and housing affordability.
How might we create a trusted environment that encourages place-based institutional and private investment in community wealth and affordable housing?
The Problem This Lab is Addressing
Community Housing Organizations (CHOs) and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) across Canada are at the forefront of addressing the housing affordability crisis by reclaiming housing from the speculative market. These groups work to raise community capital, often through tools like community bonds, to acquire and manage housing units that remain affordable in perpetuity. However, the sector faces systemic barriers to scaling: limited access to capital, a lack of supportive infrastructure, and investor hesitation despite growing interest.
What we are aiming to produce
-
Prototyped and tested, ready to implement models of:
-
Ways to:
-
Empower CHOs and Investors
-
Reduce Barriers to new Investors
-
Shift the narrative toward community-driven investment
-
-
Replicable financing models for community-led housing projects
-
A trusted framework that broadens investment participation
Lab Timeline and Activities
This 18 month project runs from early 2025 through mid-2026, and includes:
-
Facilitated workshops and community housing roundtables
-
Development and testing of financial models for scaling non-market housing acquisition
-
Stakeholder engagement strategies to foster trust and attract investment
-
Shared learning and resource creation for CHOs and sector stakeholders
-
Policy and systems mapping to identify levers for scale
By equipping CHOs with the tools and models they need—and by building confidence among investors—the Lab will contribute to increasing the share of non-market housing in Canada, helping to close the affordable housing gap for future generations.
Learn About Our Work
Watch Now
OCLT presents on community investment and bond campaigns. They also unpack challenges they'e experienced along the way in the Q&A.
Watch Now
OCLT presents a webinar on ECoH (Expert Community on Housing, hosted by CMHC) about efforts to deepen the work of community investment in non-market housing
Meetings - Past and Upcoming (All via Zoom)
Public Lab Launch
May 06, 2025
National Problem Definition Workshop
May 29, 2025
Regional Problem Definition Workshop (Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg)
June 4-6, 2025
Information Levelling
Tuesday, October 28th
1:00-2:30PM ET
This optional session walks through the Challenge Brief and share endings from behavioural, financial, and policy research to build a shared understanding of the investment barriers facing Community Housing Organizations (CHOs) and potential investors.
Insight Generation
Thursday, November 6th
1:30-4:00 PM ET
In this session, participants will bring together diverse perspectives from CHOs, investors, policymakers, and community finance experts to uncover insights into the barriers and opportunities for investment in non-market housing
Ideation
Thursday, January 15th
1:00-3:00 PM ET
Participants will generate creative ideas that connect community and sector insights into practical pathways for financing non-market housing. Together, we will explore approaches that attract diverse investors and advance a community wealth-building strategy: where community invests in community.
Meetings - Past and Upcoming
Date | Topic of Meeting | Documents |
|---|---|---|
May 06, 2025 | Public Lab Launch | |
May 29, 2025 | National Problem Definition Workshop | |
June 4-6, 2025 | Regional Problem Definition Workshop (Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg) | |
Tuesday, October 28th
1:00-2:30PM ET | Information Levelling | This optional session walks through the Challenge Brief and share endings from behavioural, financial, and policy research to build a shared understanding of the investment barriers facing Community Housing Organizations (CHOs) and potential investors. |
Thursday, November 6th
1:30-4:00 PM ET | Insight Generation | In this session, participants will bring together diverse perspectives from CHOs, investors, policymakers, and community finance experts to uncover insights into the barriers and opportunities for investment in non-market housing |
Thursday, January 15th
1:00-3:00 PM ET | Ideation | Participants will generate creative ideas that connect community and sector insights into practical pathways for financing non-market housing. Together, we will explore approaches that attract diverse investors and advance a community wealth-building strategy: where community invests in community. |
Lab Partners
This project entitled "Igniting Community Investment in Non-Market Housing" received funding from the National Housing Strategy under the NHS Solutions Labs, however, the views expressed are the personal views of the author and CMHC accepts no responsibility for them.