ONPHA Opening Doors Podcast

How do you scale community housing without losing sight of the people you serve? In this episode, Andrew McKenzie is joined by Michelle Parisien, Director of Tenant Experience Operations at Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), to explore how the organization redesigned its service delivery model to support massive portfolio growth while keeping tenants at the centre. They discuss bringing maintenance and operations closer to communities, navigating the practical challenges of operational transfor...

Building affordable housing starts long before construction begins. In this episode Marlene Coffey sits down with Mwarigha, Vice President of Housing, Asset Sustainability and New Development at WoodGreen Community Services, to explore one of the biggest barriers facing new housing developments: securing the funding needed to get projects off the ground. They discuss a proposal for a Provincial Affordable Housing Revolving Fund and how it could help community housing providers bring more affo...

Today, housing providers are being asked to do more with less, while costs continue to rise faster than the municipal tax base can sustain. In this episode of Opening Doors, host Marlene Coffey is joined by Karen Nesbitt (AMO) and Aaron Stauch (OMSSA) for a candid conversation on what it will take to better align housing across all levels of government. Together, they unpack the growing pressures facing community housing, the limits of relying on property taxes alone, and why stronger coordin...

Are we wasting precious time and money chasing “best practices” that don’t serve us? In the non-profit world, every dollar and every hour counts. Yet, many organizations still default to formal procurement processes like RFPs, believing they’re always necessary or the gold standard. The truth? They’re not. And misusing them can drain limited resources, delay progress, and even lead to worse outcomes. This episode will challenge the status quo and offer a fresh, strategic lens on supplier sele...

As Ontario’s population ages, housing providers play an increasingly critical role in enabling seniors to age at home with dignity, stability, and a strong sense of community. We showcase how the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation (TSHC), in collaboration with sector leaders such as ONPHA and AdvantAge Ontario, is driving innovative and integrated approaches to meet this growing need. In this episode, we draw on global best practices and real-world experiences to explore solutions for extend...