Mortgages for Community-based Projects

CAIC is mandated by its members to make mortgages available to non-profits or charitable organizations working to provide social services in their communities (i.e. youth group homes, non-profit, homeless shelters).

Alternatives (Montreal, Quebec)

An NGO working on social justice initiatives both in the third world and in Canada. CAIC has provided a mortgage to enable this group to house their project.
Funds advanced October 1998. www.alternatives.ca

Bread of Life (Port Alberni, BC)

This mortgage supports a soup kitchen and store for the disadvantaged in Port Alberni area. Funds advanced November 1997. More Info

Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (Toronto, Ontario)

This organization provides a variety of services ranging from children's programs to homelessness initiatives. CAIC's funds were used to build a new transitional housing project. Funds advanced February 2005. www.conccommunity.org

Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation (Edmonton, Alberta)

This mortgage supports one of ECCCC's housing initiatives that provides long-term stable housing for 10 women with a history of ongoing mental illness and low income. Funds advanced January 2006. www.e4calberta.org

Elizabeth Fry Society (Barrie, Ontario)

This mortgage provides shelter & programs for homeless women & former penal inmates. Funds advanced March 2001. www.elizabethfrysociety.com

L'Arche Hamilton/The Ark (Hamilton, Ontario)

This mortgage supports a home and day programs for people who have developmental disabilities. Funds advanced September 2005.www.larche.ca

L'Arche North Bay (North Bay, Ontario)

This mortgage supports day programs & administration for people who have developmental disabilities. Funds advanced May 2007. www.larche.ca

Mater Dei (Toronto, Ontario)

Mater Dei is a woman's non-medical residential therapeutic program which provides support to women with substance, psychiatric & family issues.
Funds advanced September 2005. www.carmelinashome.com

Neighbour-to-Neighbour Centre (Hamilton, Ontario)

Provides emergency food, employment counseling and self-help initiatives for the unemployed in the area. Funds advanced March 1994. n2ncentre.com

PAAFE (Prostitution Awareness Action Foundation of Edmonton)
(Edmonton, Alberta)

This organization provides counseling & support to those seeking alternatives to prostitution. Funds advanced August 2004. www.paafe.org

People in Need Shelter Society (Edmonton, Alberta)

This project provides shelter and services to psychiatric and mentally challenged clients. Funds advanced February 1994. www.icaf.ca/epinss.html

Redwood Shelter (Toronto, Ontario)

This project provides a safe haven for abused women and their children in the Parkdale area of Toronto. Funds advanced April 1997. www.theredwood.com

Skills for Change (Toronto, Ontario)

This service agency provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees so that they can participate in the workplace and wider community.
Funds advanced December 2003. Website: www.skillsforchange.org

St. Andrew's United Church (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

This congregation renovated their church hall so that it could be used as a community centre for people with mental health issues.
Funds advanced December 2003. standrewshfx.ca

St. John the Compassionate Mission (Toronto, Ontario)

This street mission reaches out to the urban poor providing meals and spiritual comfort. Funds advanced July 1995. www.stjohnsmission.org

The Working Centre (Kitchener, Ontario)

This resource centre provides working opportunities for hundreds of individuals normally excluded from the labour market to participate in a community kitchen, a furniture recycling shop and laundry project and a number of other community-based initiatives. Funds advanced March 2005. www.theworkingcentre.org

Well-Come Centre for Human Potential (Windsor, Ontario)

This centre provides counseling and activities for sole support mothers and their children. Additional financing to purchase a new building was advanced in August.
Funds originally advanced July 1995. www.well-comecentre.ca

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Social and Affordable Housing Initiatives

CAIC is mandated by its members to make loans available to groups working to provide social and affordable housing in Canada. CAIC will only consider applications where other sources of affordable financing are not available. We define socially beneficial housing as: any low cost rental housing; housing that remains perpetually affordable; housing that is appropriate to those being housed; and resident & community controlled housing.

Cape Breton Labourers' Development Company
(Sydney, Nova Scotia)

This project has a two-fold purpose. It provides low cost housing (rent-to-own) as well as employment for its members (building the houses).
Funds advanced October 1993.

Christie Ossington Community Centre (Toronto, Ontario)

CAIC has provided a mortgage to this group that provides services ranging from children's programs to homelessness initiatives. Funds advanced March 2002. www.conccommunity.org

Inn-Roads Housing Co-op (Edmonton, Alberta)

Provides cooperative housing to low-income families.
Funds advanced October 1985. www.innroads.ca

LifeSpin - Margaret's Haven Community Housing (London, Ontario)

This project provides housing for ex-psychiatric patients.
Funds advanced June 2000. lifespin.com

Margaret Laurence Housing Co-operative (Toronto, Ontario)

This innovative cooperative housing project made use of space in their existing building to create 16 housing units. Funds advanced March 2003.

St. Clare Multifaith Housing Society (Toronto, Ontario)

A former doctor's office building has been converted into transitional housing for the homeless. Funds advanced August 2001. www.stclares.ca

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Social Enterprise Financing

CAIC provides loans & equity investments to groups, organizations & cooperatives assisting the economic development of disadvantaged people or communities and whose objectives are considered to be of social benefit by CAIC's Board of Directors. The organization may be a corporation or a co-operative. The investment may be debt or equity, secured or unsecured. CAIC is supportive of community loan funds and is interested in partnering with organizations that provide the necessary business skills & technical support to ensure successful social enterprises.

Bloor Information and Life Skills Centre (Toronto, Ontario)

This organization provides social services (settlement, employment, domestic abuse) to non-English speaking women in Toronto's downtown core.
Funds advanced June 2004. www.bloorinfo.org

Centre for Social Innovation (Toronto, Ontario)

This innovative organization runs a facilty for tenants from the social, cultural & environmental sectors providng the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment while keeping costs low through shared services and amenities.
Funds advanced July 2007. www.socialinnovation.ca

Cooperative Radiophonique de Toronto (Toronto, Ontario)

This co-operative radio station provides french language programming to the Greater Toronto area. Funds advanced February 2006. www.choqfm.ca/laradio/crt

Fonds Communautaire d'Emprunt de la Mauricie
(Trois Rivières, Quebec)

This community loan fund provides loans to individuals starting or expanding a business enterprise that do not have access to traditional credit. www.fcem.qc.ca

La Siembra (Ottawa, Ontario)

This group is a fair trade cooperative committed to educating consumers in Canada and supporting third world producers. Funds advanced May 2002. www.cocoacamino.com

Montreal Community Loan Association/ Association Communautaire d'Emprunt de Montréal (Montreal, Quebec)

This association makes loans to individuals and groups starting new businesses in Montreal's economically depressed neighbourhoods. Funds advanced August 1992. www.acemcreditcommunautaire.qc.ca

Ottawa Community Loan Fund (Ottawa, Ontario)

This loan fund provides access to capital for marginalized individuals in the Ottawa area. Funds advanced May 2005. www.oclf.org

People in Need Shelter Society (Edmonton, Alberta)

Additional financing so that the Society could provide additional services to their client base. Funds advanced December 1998.

Planet Bean Cooperative (Guelph, Ontario)

This worker co-operative retails and wholesales gourmet fair trade organic coffee and other fair trade products in the Ontario market. CAIC's loan enabled the co-op to purchase a new & larger roaster. Funds advanced July 2006. www.planetbeancoffee.com

Quebec City Community Loan Fund/Carrefour de relance de l'èconomie et de l'emploi du Centre de Québec (CRÉECQ)
(Quebec City, Quebec)

This association makes loans to individuals and groups starting new businesses in Quebec's bluital centre. Funds advanced January 1998. More Info

Saint John Community Loan Fund (Saint John, New Brunswick)

This loan fund provides access to capital for individuals wishing to start or expand a business. Funds advanced April 2002. www.loanfund.ca

Yellowknife Glass Recyclers Co-operative (Yellowknife NWT)

This worker cooperative has developed a method of recycling glass containers into unique glass giftware. CAIC's loan is part of a financing package that this innovative co-op is putting together to develop marketing materials, expand their website and grow their operations. Funds advanced January 2007. www.ygr.coop

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