Intended use of the concepts presented in the Affordable Housing Ideas tool

This extensive collection assembles strategies that helped produce affordable housing in different countries – particularly Canada and the United States. These strategies have been used by the private, non profit and public sectors in diverse socio-economic, cultural, regulatory and political contexts. Some have produced significant results in creating affordable housing while others have achieved more modest improvements. Many of these strategies are likely still in use today while others may have been discontinued for a variety of reasons such as a lack of funding, local resistance, jurisdictional complications or shifts in policy, etc. As such, a successful strategy in one jurisdiction may not be feasible in another with different environmental circumstances. Similarly, a successful strategy at one point in time may subsequently no longer be feasible in the same jurisdiction due to changes in the more current local context.

Thus, this collection of strategies should not be regarded as a set of recommended initiatives or practices which can be implemented throughout Canada but rather as a collection of ideas which can be drawn upon freely for consideration and use in formulating plans of action suitable to specific local conditions. Some strategies will likely be readily and easily adapted to local circumstances; others might become feasible only if minor changes are made to local circumstances; while still others might never be regarded as feasible.

The strategies and examples in the Affordable Housing Strategies tool have been written in plain language and kept brief in order to make the ideas accessible to a wide audience. For more extensive coverage of topics, the reader is given links to source material.