Introducing CATCH
The Canadian Alliance for Transit Connected Housing is a new national initiative designed to support the sustainability and development of community housing along transit lines.
Transit investments should connect people—not displace them
Transit-oriented development often makes housing affordability worse in cities across Canada. When major transit projects are announced, nearby property values rise, affordable units are lost to redevelopment, and low-income residents are pushed out of their communities.
Pioneering a new model for equitable transit-oriented development
To address this issue, Social Innovation Canada (SI Canada) launched the Equitable Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing (ETOAH) Lab in 2023. In partnership with CMHC, the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Community Foundation, and others, we co-designed a new model to align transit investments with long-term housing affordability. Now we’re ready to scale it up.
CATCH: sustaining and developing community housing near transit
CATCH will work in cities across Canada to:
- Build a national inventory of best approaches to deliver transit-oriented affordable housing;
- Create and facilitate local collaboratives to develop inclusive, integrated housing and transit plans; and
- Apply proven social finance models for targeted investment in transit-connected affordable housing, using blended capital funds.
Canada needs bold, systems-level solutions to the housing crisis
CATCH is a national opportunity to align public investments, empower communities, and help reverse the displacement trends impacting low-income and racialized Canadians. We invite cities, investors, policymakers, and partners to join in creating a future where affordability, access, and inclusion are built into every infrastructure project.
Want to know more about the Lab and the vision for CATCH? Read our Roadmap Report and Case Study.