A collective tool
to secure affordable community spaces
A cooperative response to the affordable space crisis
The Initiative immobilière communautaire was born out of a campaign led by Centraide of Greater Montreal and the Montreal Coalition of Neighborhood Tables to address the housing insecurity faced by community organizations. More than $18 million has been used to implement a financial solution that facilitates access to spaces tailored to the agencies’ needs, while respecting their financial capacity.
© Plein Milieu
Building on the results achieved in Greater Montreal, the Initiative is now entering a new phase. Since 2025, it has been rolled out across Quebec under the leadership of the National Table of Community Development Corporations (NTCDC) and with the support of the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale. This expansion is accompanied by an additional investment of $50 million to support the development of community real estate projects throughout Quebec.
This development allows a greater number of community agencies to benefit from a proven solution that promotes the stability, sustainability, and affordability of community spaces.
Three financial levers to give the community a new lease on their missions
- Support loan program: This program provides professional and technical support to help agencies plan an acquisition, renovation or construction project.
- Social acquisition fund : This fund allows agencies to quickly secure the purchase of a building or piece of land so that they have enough time to finalize the project’s financial structure.
- Social investment fund: This fund supports the long-term financing of community real estate projects through loans with favourable terms.
Together, these tools combine into a unique financing continuum that strengthens agencies’ ability to act and supports their missions over the long term.
Centraide, the driving force behind the mobilization
Centraide of Greater Montreal played a central leadership role to launch and coordinate the Initiative immobilière communautaire du Grand Montréal.
Centraide of Greater Montreal’s commitment has aligned the region’s key stakeholders around a common vision to ensure that stable, affordable spaces are available over the long term to benefit both agencies and the populations they support.
The initiative launched in Greater Montreal served as the foundation for the rollout of this solution across Quebec; it is now led by the NTCDC and supported by the Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale.
Concrete and lasting effects on the ground
The Initiative immobilière communautaire du Grand Montréal acts as an interface between the social and the financial.
Its mission:
- Preserve community spaces in neighbourhoods.
- Help agencies stay financially stable.
- Mutualize resources and spread out risk among social investors.
- Strengthening the community ecosystem in Greater Montreal and throughout Quebec.
Learn more
Visit the website of the Initiative immobilière communautaire initiativeimmobiliere.ca