2019: Our Year in Photos
At the end of last year, we committed 2019 to be ONPHA’s year of action. We have a vision to deliver more value to members and lead the sector, and we built out a plan to get there based on four key pillars of service: sector excellence, sector leadership, provider effectives and ensuring a strong ONPHA.
Together with our members, we made significant strides towards this vision – and we’re just getting started! We’re continuing to build on our progress, and we can’t wait for members to see what’s next in 2020.
Check out our photo album below to see highlights from the past year.
Shining a spotlight on our sector: 700+ million impressions on the Rental Housing Index
ONPHA partnered with housing organizations from across the country to launch the updated Canadian Rental Housing Index, led by the BC Non-Profit Housing Association. This online database shows how much Canadians are paying in rent and where there’s overcrowding. One of the updated features allows you to see statistics down to the riding level, which strengthened our advocacy efforts during the federal election period. The launch put ONPHA and our sector in the national spotlight, with over 700 million impressions! ONPHA spoke with several major news outlets about Ontario’s housing issues and the benefits of community housing.
Building stronger relationships with our government partners
A healthy, vibrant sector requires strong investment from all levels of government. This year we worked on building out a stronger, more focused advocacy arm to help us strengthen our relationships with our government partners. This work has enabled us to meet on a regular, scheduled basis with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s policy team. We’ve also engaged directly with Minister Steve Clark to bring our members concerns and ideas to the forefront. We were pleased to welcome him once again to our annual ONPHA Conference, where he addressed members and met with our leadership to discuss critical issues facing our sector, such as capacity building and the need for Indigenous housing solutions.
Bringing housing providers together in your own backyards
We know that networking is important to our members. That’s why we travel to communities across Ontario to connect you with your peers in your own backyards. Regional Meetings are one-day events where members hear important sector and ONPHA updates and identify topics to problem-solve together. This year we met with you in Windsor, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay. See where we’re heading in 2020!
Exploring Successful Models in Montreal
Over the summer we visited our partners in Montreal to see how they’re finding community solutions to funding, asset renewal, and development. Through tours of non-profit housing sites, panel discussions with the experts, and networking events, we gleaned plenty of lessons and inspiration to bring back to Ontario. Stay tuned for more information on our next Study Tour!
Increasing our advocacy on Indigenous housing issues
We’re committed to following the lead of ONPHA’s Urban Aboriginal Housing Advisory Committee to help raise the housing standards in Ontario’s Indigenous communities. This year we hosted a full-day Ontario Indigenous Housing Provider Gathering, and for the first time ever we had participation from both the provincial and federal governments. One of the main topics of discussion was around our forthcoming Indigenous Housing Plan. This is a first-of-its-kind resource that presents the need with hard data, and calls for specific solutions. Make sure you’re subscribed to ONPHA’s e-Alert so you’re notified when the Plan is launched in the coming weeks. Email communications@onpha.org.
Owning our Future
ONPHA’s annual conference is one of the largest networking events of its kind in North America, bringing together over 1,000 housing professionals for a weekend of learning and problem-solving. This year we introduced new features such as the Innovation Showcase, a new conference app, and additional plenaries. Over 97% of delegates surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience. We’ll see you again next year in Ottawa!
Celebrating our Sector
ONPHA members do incredible work, and we love celebrating your achievements through our awards program. From supporting seniors to live independently, to employing youth living in affordable housing communities, our 2019 winners are living proof that our sector is essential to the health and wellbeing of Ontarians. We’ll be launching nominations for our 2020 Awards in the coming months, so start thinking about who you might nominate!
Growing our Capacity
We have a plan to build up the association and be leaders in the sector. To get there, we need to increase our capacity. In 2019, we began rolling out a new strategic recruitment plan that is enabling us to deliver more value to members. We filled vacant positions and introduced several new roles. See some of the new faces on our leadership teams!
