Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is the federal CROWN CORPORATION responsible for administering Canada's National Housing Act. CMHC was created in 1946 as the successor to the Wartime Housing Corporation, and until 1979 was called Central Mortgage and Housing. Its mandate was to help improve housing and living conditions in Canada.

Since 1946 one-half of all housing built in Canada has been assisted through the National Housing Act. CMHC has helped Canadians house themselves through grants, loans and by insuring mortgage monies borrowed from private lenders. Good housing and community design are encouraged through CMHC's research and design programs.

Immediately after WWII, CMHC concentrated its activities on providing homes for returning war veterans. During the 1950s housing quality concerns were added to the task of providing for sufficient quantity of housing. Urban renewal programs to redevelop inner cities were funded during the 1960s. In the 1970s neighbourhood improvement programs and a residential rehabilitation assistance program encouraged the maintenance and improvement of existing communities.

The CMHC is concerned with providing housing for low-income people and meeting the special needs of the elderly and disabled. The corporation administers programs to encourage provinces, cities, and nonprofit and co-operative societies to provide housing for Canadians who would otherwise be unable to obtain adequate and affordable shelter. CMHC publishes quarterly housing statistics, reports the results of housing research and produces a number of publications related to housing.