Eras

Canadian Housing

Canadian Housing and Renewal Association/Association canadienne d'habitation et de réncvation urbaine

March 31, 1992

His Worship Mayor Len Traboulay,
City of Port Coquitlam,

2580 Shaughnessy Street,

Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
V3C 2A8

The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association is a national voluntary organization
representing those who manage and deliver housing programs in communities across
Canada. Our members typically reflect a cross-section of people engaged in housing policy,
management and delivery activity as well as politicians, planners, consultants, builders,
tenants, and other interested in the field. Our mission is to promote access to adequate and
affordable housing by supporting the efforts of our members through publications, research,
training and action in common to seek government policy change. We are seeking the
assistance of your municipal council to support CHRA’s efforts to keep a viable social!
housing sector in place.

It is clear from recent events relating to the constitution and the Federal budget that the
whole strategy associated with social housing over the past two decades is now up for review.
Unless Canada’s social housing providers can position themselves successfully for the 1990s,
the prospects are for continuing pressure on a variety of fronts, and for potential loss of
much that has been achieved. To achieve an effective strategy will call for reconsideration
of what is being done now by social housing providers, as well as lobbying against the recent
Federal social housing budget cuts. We also realize that it is not enough just to repeat large
housing need numbers without showing more effective ways in which they can be reduced.
Accordingly, CHRA is proposing a three-step process to carry out a review of the Federal
role and the longer-term strategy for social housing:

@ a roundtable session in early May to review a series of options presented in an advance
Discussion Paper (members of the FCM Housing Task Force will be invited);

a development of a position at the 1992 Canadian Housing and Renewal Congress in
Montréal;

@ action by the whole range of those with an interest in affordable housing based on this
position. |

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Ottawa, Ontario KIP §J6 ’ Fax: (613) 594-9596 . Ottawa (Ontario) K1P 5J6