Co-operative Housing Development Program.
CHDP is a dedicated $1.5 billion CMHC program for new housing co-operatives — the largest federal investment in co-op housing in more than 30 years. Unlike AHF, which serves a broad set of non-profit and government applicants, CHDP is restricted to housing co-ops only.
Capital is delivered as a combination of repayable and forgivable loans totalling up to 100% of eligible project costs. The repayable component amortizes up to 50 years at below-market rates; the forgivable portion covers up to one- third of total costs. The program targets approximately 3,200 new co-op units by 2031.
The CHDP capital stack.
Combined repayable + forgivable loans can cover up to 100% of eligible costs. Most co-ops will also stack municipal grants and land contributions on top.
Why CHDP matters.
Canada has not seen federal capital of this scale dedicated to co-op housing since the early 1990s, when the previous co-op programs were wound down. CHDP revives a development pathway that had nearly disappeared from new-construction activity. The 100% cost coverage — combined with a forgivable layer up to one-third — makes new co-op development financially viable in a way it has not been for a generation.
Co-ops that qualify for CHDP may also benefit from additional flexibilities in CMHC's other programs: more readily available limited-recourse lending, net worth flexibility at 100+ points on MLI Select, and access to AHF's parallel forgivable components where eligibility overlaps.
Total program budget
New co-op units targeted by 2031
Max coverage (repayable + forgivable combined)
Max forgivable share of project costs