Building Bridges: Insights and Takeaways from ONPHA 2024

The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) 2024 conference, themed Building Bridges, brought together nearly 1,000 housing professionals to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: ensuring affordable housing for all. As you may know, we’ve been working for the last several years to help launch Partners for Affordable Housing (Partners), and so attending this conference was an invaluable opportunity to connect with those folks most immersed in advancing affordable housing solutions in Ontario.

At Partners, we are focused on P4 partnerships between public, private and philanthropic partners and ONPHA’s members, the housing providers. This year’s conference focused on scaling solutions, building partnerships, and amplifying underrepresented voices, all of which resonated deeply with our mission. Here are some of the standout lessons and ideas from the conference that will help shape our efforts moving forward.

Scaling Solutions: Rethinking Community Housing

A recurring theme at ONPHA 2024 was the need to think bigger and act bolder. Carolyn Whitzman’s session on Laying the Groundwork emphasized housing as a fundamental right, urging stakeholders to move beyond small, incremental fixes and scale solutions that address the systemic barriers to affordable housing. This call to action aligns with Partners’ approach: leveraging collective investment, collective voice, and collective knowledge to scale capacity for non-profit housing providers.

Panels like A Build and Buy Approach offered fresh ideas on funding models, such as revolving funds that allow for the borrowing and recycling of capital and tapping into charitable investment funds. These innovative strategies reinforce our own efforts at Partners to attract national philanthropists and corporate partners who can support large-scale affordable housing developments. The success of the Jericho Lands partnership in Vancouver served as a compelling example of how creative funding and collaboration can preserve affordability while scaling supply.

Collaborative Models: Partnerships as the Path Forward

Strong partnerships were a key focus throughout the conference. Sessions like Sharing the Weight showcased how partnerships between non-profits, the private sector, and municipal agencies can create long-term, impactful solutions.

For example, Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) acquired low-performing assets from Minto Family Homes, adding excellent, high-quality affordable units to their portfolio. Another project at OCH involved building 1,900 homes and allocating space for non-profits, co-ops and community service agencies to co-exist providing enhanced resident services.

This echoes Partners’ approach of rallying diverse stakeholders to not just address immediate housing needs, but to build resilient systems that endure.

Amplifying Voices: Intergenerational and Inclusive Solutions

The conference highlighted the power of diverse voices, particularly young leaders and Indigenous communities, in shaping the future of housing. The Fostering Intergenerational Solutions session underscored the importance of culturally appropriate, people-centered housing models that address unique community needs. Indigenous leaders shared how traditional knowledge and community-driven approaches can create housing solutions that are not only sustainable but deeply rooted in local culture and values.

Panelists emphasized that promises from governments must lead to implementation. Despite the fact that urban and rural Indigenous strategies exist, funding is not flowing. Indigenous-led organizations have incredible visions for their communities to address both present and future needs and timely, adequate funding is crucial to making these visions a reality.

Key Takeaway: Building Bridges with Partners for Affordable Housing

The ONPHA 2024 conference reinforced the central tenet of Partners’ work: that solving Canada’s housing crisis requires an investment in innovative new collaborations—between sectors, communities, and ideas. From scaling innovative funding models to empowering local leaders and amplifying underrepresented voices, the insights from ONPHA resonate deeply with our mission.

Our presence at ONPHA was not just about learning—it was about contributing to a broader conversation on the future of affordable housing. At Partners, we’re committed to applying these lessons to our work, leveraging collective investment, collective voice, and collective knowledge to scale capacity for non-profit housing providers.