The Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA) is recommending that the federal government reestablish a financial commitment to promoting non-profit initiatives which preserve and develop affordable housing for low to moderate income Canadians. We provide two basic arguments in support of this recommendation. First, the level of housing need in Canada has grown significantly and it continues to grow. This situation is placing enormous pressures on our communities which are increasingly ill-equipped to provide healthy, productive environments for citizens. Second, a number of crucial initiatives by CHRA and other organizations have contributed to an emerging consensus on the right combination of tools, levers and incentives which should form the framework of a national affordable housing strategy. The federal government needs to take advantage of these creative solutions to housing need as well as the facilitative environment supporting these solutions. The proposed framework for a national housing strategy includes two solutions to housing need which require the federal government to take on key financial and regulatory roles: 1. A flexible capital grants program; and 2. Measures to attract new investment in affordable housing, including tax measures and regulatory enhancements to the role of CMHC in mortgage underwriting and mortgage insurance for non-profit developers. In addition, a national affordable housing strategy must incorporate provisions for capacity-building among community-based non-profit housing providers. While the federal government must take on a leadership role, the proposed national housing strategy involves the participation of series of other partners including provincial and municipal governments, builders, developers, lenders and community-based non-profit housing organizations The federal government must act on these proposals now. A lack of affordable, adequate housing means that the social and economic well-being of citizens is significantly diminished. Without appropriate shelter, individuals and families lack the wherewithal to participate meaningfully in the economy and society more broadly. The impact of a federal commitment to providing affordable housing will go far beyond ensuring that all Canadians are sheltered. Affordable, adequate housing is critical to the development of healthy communities which form the backbone of the Canadian economy and a prosperous society.