The difference stable housing makes
When people spend more than half of their paycheque on housing, they become vulnerable
They can’t keep up with other essentials — food, transportation, or childcare. A missed rent payment can quickly spiral into instability: couch surfing, temporary basement rentals, or being forced out of the communities they love.
That instability breeds further instability. The cost of inaction is steep — supporting an unhoused person for one month costs approximately $2,000 in a shelter, $13,500 in a hospital, or $4,000 in a jail. Providing housing, by contrast, costs about $600. And those figures don’t account for the additional burden on social services or the ripple effects on community wellbeing.
55% of Canadians are concerned about the possibility of losing their home or rental unit if their financial situation were to suddenly change.
Inaction is far more costly than construction and renovation
Partners for Affordable Housing is part of a mounting effort to get out in front of the spiraling impact of the housing crisis. Its approach is recognized in provincial and federal strategies.
National Housing Strategy (CMHC)
Build Canada Homes (Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure, Communities Canada)
Desjardins Affordable Homes Initiative (Government of Quebec)
Bold collaboration moves the needle
Learn how bold collaborations are accelerating affordable housing solutions across Canada. From early-stage investments to growing fundraising momentum in Alberta and Ontario, this report highlights Partners for Affordable Housing’s progress since its launch in 2023.
PFAH_2025_Community-Report-web2See solutions in action
Caroline Co-operative
Hamilton, Ontario
For the Caroline Co-operative in Hamilton, Ontario, crucial Last Mile funding from two philanthropic foundations saved the day when their mission to buy their building encountered a deal-breaking final cost. Partners for Affordable Housing made the requisite introductions so the tenants could fill a small equity gap and close on their purchase, allowing them to preserve 21 affordable units forever.
"We were so close. But if we could not get the money to cover the closing costs, the whole project was in jeopardy."
Great Expectations
Canmore, Alberta
The Great Expectations Collaborative Campaign is providing coordinated, large-scale fundraising for projects beginning on the Palliser lands and the Moustache lands in Canmore, Alberta. Partners for Affordable Housing is expanding access to larger-scale philanthropic, private and public funding that affordable housing providers, Canmore Community Housing and the YWCA Banff, could not secure alone.
"We need 1,200 homes, already. This project is not just a necessity—it’s a lifeline for Canmore’s future."
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