Developing Affordable Housing

The Rural Development Networks Sustainable Housing Initiative works across Canada with the objective of increasing access to housing that meets peoples needs while allowing them to thrive in their communities. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has funded the creation of an affordable housing course, based on the Sustainable Housing Initiative’s award winning Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Affordable Housing. The origins, goals and purpose of this course will be discussed in this session, as an educational material which can be utilized by members across Canada’s housing sector to make the steps of affordable housing development more transparent.

What will you learn?

•  Understand the development process of affordable housing in Canada
• Work towards developing financially sustainable affordable housing
• Understand the benefits of cross-collaboration in the housing sector
• Educate others on the positive impacts of developing affordable housing

Who should attend?

• Affordable housing providers across Canada

Presenters

Kabir Shahani – Manager Capital Funding, Rural Development Network 

Kabir works with the RDN as the Manager of Capital Funding primarily for the Sustainable Housing Initiative (SHI). Kabir holds a Master of Arts in Global Development Studies from Queen’s University.

Kabir has experience conducting research on affordable housing and energy efficient buildings policy frameworks positioned within and outside of Canada. He is passionate about addressing Canada’s rural housing crisis. He supports pre-development work for affordable rural housing projects through financial data analysis to determine the feasibility of meeting the needs and demands of a community. He works to expand access to sustainable affordable housing initiatives across Canada.

Linda Bernicki – Director Community Development and Indigenous Engagement, Rural Development Network of Canada

Linda has been leading community change and developing coordinated community responses in the areas of homelessness, the housing spectrum, poverty reduction, domestic violence, and Indigenous engagement and reconciliation for over 23 years. Her education in Child, Youth and Family Counselling, Community Development, Economics of Social Change, Anti-Racism, Conflict Resolution and Incident Command System (ICS 300) has allowed her to work front line with the highest risk population to supervising and training staff in case management, trauma-informed care and harm reduction. This has supported her ability to identify approaches and design community engagement for difficult conversations. Linda has found these conversations essential to building a solid foundation for improving quality of life and overall wellness for the most vulnerable. Linda is the lead author and researcher for the RDN Emergency Mat Program Guide.