The Conditions
What CAF Families Face
Residential Housing Units — Decades of Deferred Maintenance
Canadian Forces Housing Agency (CFHA) manages approximately 12,000 Residential Housing Units (RHUs) across Canadian bases. Many were built in the 1950s-1970s and have not received comprehensive renovation. Military families report: persistent mould, pest infestations, broken HVAC systems, water damage, and maintenance backlogs stretching months to years. Families are often posted to bases with no choice of housing.
The Retention Connection
Housing quality is consistently cited as a factor in CAF retention decisions. When a military family is posted to a base and assigned housing with mould or broken heating, the message is clear: the institution doesn't value your service enough to provide safe shelter. Combined with the 12,785 troop shortfall and the elimination of the CFAT cognitive baseline, the housing crisis accelerates the recruitment and retention death spiral.
$35.7B Budget — Housing Underfunded
DND's annual budget exceeds $35.7B. Within that budget, housing maintenance and renovation consistently receives insufficient allocation. The department that procures fighter jets, naval vessels, and armoured vehicles cannot maintain the homes of the families who operate them. The housing portfolio is treated as a liability to be minimized rather than an investment in the force.
The Institutional Degradation Pattern
Eliminate cognitive testing (CFAT removed). Degrade family housing (mould, pests, backlogs). Offer MAID to injured veterans. Close investigations into senior officers (CFNIS). Deploy forces abroad while domestic capacity collapses. Each documented independently — together they describe an institution being systematically hollowed out from within.