A new national institute will build capacity for Black-led community housing. With $650,000 in joint seed funding from the federal and Nova Scotia governments, the Black Communities Housing Technical Resources Centre has a mandate to support housing proponents through a continuum of project planning, development and management processes, and to connect them with government housing programs and other potential investors.

The initiative is aligned with the National Housing Co-investment Fund (NHCF), which has earmarked $50 million to provide up to 40 per cent of funding for new affordable housing for Black households. The new resources centre will be based in Halifax and will operate in partnership with the Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC), a national organization representing a network of non-profit and cooperative housing agencies.

“We have heard loud and clear from Black Canadian communities that more support is needed in the housing sector,” says Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion. “We are proud to support the creation of the Black Community Housing Technical Resources Centre.”

Veronica Marsman, a property manager with the Akoma Family Centre, which provides residential services for children and youth, notes that Nova Scotia has been home to Black communities for more than 400 years, making it a fitting host locale for the new resources centre. “We are very happy that the new centre, which will be serving Black Canadians, will also be led by Black Canadians. It is important that those focusing on housing for Black Canadians understand the challenges we all face,” she observes.