Canadian Housing and Renewal Association

The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) is a national non-profit association in Canada that represents those working in and/or concerned with the state of affordable housing and homelessness in Canada.

CHRA's main objectives include:

• keeping homes affordable;
• ending homelessness;
• renewing communities and
• creating a sustainable housing profession.

CHRA aims to achieve these goals through all of its activities; including

• federal-level advocacy
• annual congress,
• creating opportunities for members to share ideas and best practices
• providing online and in-person learning opportunities
• disseminating housing- and homelessness-related information to members and the broader sector

History

In the mid-sixties, a group of concerned urban renewal professionals in Toronto became members of the Upper New York State Chapter of the National Association of Housing Renewal Officials (NAHRO). From this nucleus in 1967 the Canadian Association of Housing & Renewal Officials (CAHRO) was formed.

The original members of CAHRO were concerned with urban renewal; however, this changed with the development of a national membership and the introduction of the Neighbourhood Improvement Program (NIP). As stated in the CAHRO constitution at the time, the objectives of the association were:

"to promote understanding of housing, community renewal, housing development, programs and policies, and rehabilitation and property standards affecting the urban environment at the municipal level, and to promote this understanding through dissemination of information on legislation and techniques."

During the early seventies, the membership was limited to several hundred. The annual conference was the only regular meeting and correspondence was limited to a mailout before that annual meeting. This changed somewhat in 1977 when a small newsletter - COMMUNIQUE - was sent to members at irregular intervals in response to new federal policy in housing .This newsletter and other activities were very much limited by resources which were derived from membership dues and any small profits from the annual conference.

In early 1977, the president of CAHRO approached Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) requesting funding to establish a small national office with an executive director. CAHRO felt that unless and until the association had such an office, it wcould not become an effective municipal voice in housing.

Initial meetings between the two agencies centred on this proposal; however, past experience with other similar operations lead CMHC to suggest funding for a more clearly product-oriented agreement. In the late summer of 1977, CAHRO submitted a proposal to CMHC for funding of a national housing magazine. This proposal was approved in the summer of 1978 and an agreement was signed.

In the agreement, CMHC agreed to fund CAHRO for two purposes:

1. "To produce a periodical on housing and neighbourhood revitalization and related activites.
2. To generate revenues that attempt to recover some of the costs of the publication by promoting and expanding CAHRO membership and activities."

Further specifications concerning the periodical were made. It was to be bilingual, national and produced six times per year. In 1978, there were to be two issues. Further more,

"it will contain practical and technical information to address program delivery problems and improve skills; illustrations, analyses, news and comments related to the wide range of housing and rehabilitation issues and activities. It will review current resources material and provide an inquiry service to its readers who will primarily include the various public and private groups and individuals involved in the delivery of NIP and RRAP, and other related housing and rehabilitation activity."

Interviews for the magazine staff were held in August 1978 and by early September, three people were set up in the CAHRO national office in Fredericton, New Brunswick working on the first issue of IMPACT.