CHRA Champions
Not sure if you should become a member of CHRA?
You don't have to take our word for it.
Here's what some of our members have had to say about the importance of CHRA membership:
"When I ran the Housing Branch for the City of Ottawa, I had to consider, like many of you, whether I was getting good value for my CHRA membership fees. I concluded that when CHRA successfully advocated for a new national program, it brought in millions of dollars to the City’s coffers. If CHRA’s research on the expiry of operating agreements convinces the federal government to retain even a portion of its $1.8 billion annual expenditure on social housing, the City could protect its 23,000 units of existing social housing and their tenants.
When CHRA convinced the government to eliminate mortgage insurance premiums for new non-profit housing development, that represented a saving of $400,000 on one $20 million housing project. If I attended a CHRA conference or symposium and learned just one new thing, I could save weeks of staff time and thousands of consulting dollars not having to reinvent the wheel.
With uncertain times ahead, we need an association like CHRA more than ever."
- Joyce Potter
Joyce is a past-president of CHRA and formerly responsible for housing and homelessness programs with the City of Ottawa/Region of Ottawa-Carleton. She is currently a public policy consultant in Ottawa.
“Belonging to CHRA is important to Saskatoon because it is the only Canadian organization that allows us to participate in a nation-wide dialogue on affordable housing and homelessness issues. Through CHRA networking opportunities, we are able to explore and share solutions with our peers and other levels of government.
Small and medium sized cities need to be players and participate in solving this national problem; federal and provincial funding is not the only answer.”
- Alan Wallace
Manager, Neighbourhood Planning,
City of Saskatoon, SK
"CHRA is an important association for us because it allows us to be present on the Federal scene defending the issues that matter to us. It is also an essential forum for exchange with our colleagues in other provinces that allows us to benefit from their experience and improve our own practices."
François Vermette
Directeur générale, Réseau québécois des OSBL d'habitation
“Over the decades, CHRA has played a vital role in advancing housing policy in Canada. Your representation on behalf of your members has helped to ensure consistent and committed public support for aff ordable housing and for the many thousands of Canadians who depend on it.”
- Cassie Doyle
Former Deputy Minister of Housing and Consumer Services for B.C.
“Being a member of CHRA connects me with others across Canada working in the areas of homelessness and affordable housing and provides me with a valuable network for ongoing learning. Th e federal funding through HRSDC was kept alive in part due to constant attention from CHRA submissions as our national voice.
Only through my membership in CHRA, with members across the country, do I and my community feel heard by government. ”
- Pam Ralston
Instructor at the University of Calgary
Formerly with the City of Red Deer, AB
“Our Association of non-profit and co-op housing providers has benefited greatly from our partnership with CHRA. We have made use of CHRA resources in education and training, planning for the expiry of operating agreements, accessing a network of experts in housing for conference presentations, and general moral support in our efforts to advocate for and provide housing for those in need in New Brunswick. In these difficult economic times the need for our national voice in housing is greater still.”
- Gary Glauser
Executive Director, New Brunswick Non-profit Housing Association
