On The Way Home

In this episode of On the Way Home, Emmy Kelly is joined by Cliff Youdale, Chief Development Officer at Ottawa Community Housing, to discuss what it takes to steward and modernize more than $4 billion in community housing assets while planning for the future of supportive housing. Drawing on over 30 years of experience as a professional engineer, Cliff shares how preventative maintenance, capital repair, and green initiatives work together to keep housing stable for tenants, and how innovative partnerships like the BumbleBee Initiative are accelerating supportive housing by combining public land, development expertise, and integrated health and social supports. Cliff highlights how this approach is not only reshaping outcomes in Ottawa but may also offer a compelling possibility model for other communities looking to strengthen their housing continuum and reduce homelessness.

In this episode of On the Way Home, we speak with Adam Mongrain, Director of Housing Policy at Vivre en Ville, whose systems-oriented approach to the housing crisis raises provocative questions and challenges some of the assumptions that dominate today’s debates. Adam shares his unconventional journey from software development into housing policy, unpacks the distinction between cost problems and price problems, and explores how misdiagnosing these dynamics may be holding Canada back. He discusses his belief that building a broad public movement must come before asking politicians or households to make sacrifices, makes the case for a national rental registry, and reflects on lessons learned from working across research, planning, nonprofit development, and the co-op movement. Throughout the conversation, Adam offers thought-provoking perspectives, including some that push listeners to reconsider long-held narratives about ownership, equity, and reform and closes by sharing what gives him hope and where he sees the greatest opportunity for meaningful change in Canada’s housing future.

Toronto’s housing system is at a breaking point. With home prices now nine times median income and purpose-built rental development stalled, we are losing fifteen older affordable units for every one new home built. Two-thirds of the GTHA workforce spend more than 30% of their income on housing. A strain that threatens families, employers, and Ontario’s economic future. To shift from crisis to construction, we must rethink how affordable housing is financed. In this episode of On the Way Home, Emmy sits down with Mwarigha, Vice President of Housing Growth, Development & Asset Sustainability at WoodGreen Community Services to explore the concept of the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, a province-wide, Ontario-backed investment vehicle designed to unlock upfront capital and bring institutional investment back into affordable rental development. Developed in partnership with BILDGTA, FRPO, ONPHA and Arcadis, AHIF has the potential to de-risk projects, accelerate approvals, and support the creation of high-quality mixed-income, sustainable communities across Ontario, so that we can build a housing system that works for everyone.

This week Emmy sits down with Adrienne Pacini (Partner, SHS Consulting) and Carolyn Whitzman (Adjunct Professor and Senior Housing Researcher) to explore what it really takes to scale affordable and non-market housing in Canada. From regional portfolio approaches and innovation labs to financing models and data-driven collaboration, this episode dives deep into practicalities and partnerships that can move us from pilot projects to sustained impact and what gives these housing leaders hope for the road ahead.

This week, we sit down with Dr. Nick Falvo, researcher, policy expert, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal on Homelessness. Drawing from more than a decade of frontline experience, Nick offers a grounded look at what Canada can realistically achieve right now: from defining meaningful short-term goals and strengthening supportive housing, to improving federal funding models and ensuring smaller communities aren’t left behind. He also highlights non-profit innovation and shares what we’re doing right which gives him hope for the future of housing and homelessness in Canada.

In this episode of On the Way Home, Emmy Kelly chats with Heather McDonald, President and CEO of United Way Greater Toronto, to explore her first 6 months in the role, United Way Greater Toronto's ambitious 10-year strategy, and insights from the new Built for Good report. Together, they unpack barriers slowing down affordable housing, where urgent action is needed, and how community organizations, governments, and non-profits can work "first and fast" together to build stronger, more connected communities across the GTA. A powerful conversation about leadership, collaboration, and the path forward.

This week with On the Way Home, we’re joined by Ray Sullivan, Executive Director of the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), one of the country’s leading voices for non-market and community housing. With over 25 years in the field, Ray shares how the sector has evolved, what opportunities lie ahead and why research and collaboration are key to shaping a truly affordable housing system. Tune in as we explore the future of community housing in Canada and how, together, we can build a country where everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home

Finland has boldly embraced Housing First to drastically reduce homelessness. On this episode of On the Way Home, we’re joined by Juha Kahila, Head of International Affairs at the Y-Foundation, to explore how Finland moved from emergency shelters to permanent housing as a national standard. Juha shares the story behind this systems-level shift, the role of collaboration across sectors, and the key lessons other countries, particularly Canada, can take from Finland’s experience. Together, we reflect on what must be true for a “society that works” one where no one is left without a home.