Building affordable, sustainable homes through community partnership.
A Canadian non-profit built to expand affordable housing delivery
Nesting Ground works with community housing providers, governments, social service organizations, development partners and mission-aligned investors to create and steward mixed-income rental housing.
We bring together the partnerships, development capacity, and financing tools needed to move strong projects from idea to construction. Our goal is straightforward: more affordable homes, built well, and connected to the people and services that help communities thrive.
Community housing delivery needs more than a good idea.
Many non-profit and community organizations do not have the development capacity nor balance-sheet strength to deliver housing at scale. Nesting Ground helps close those gaps.
We are a non-profit that collaborates with private-sector partners to build at scale, partnering with social service organizations to deliver community benefit that is authentic and provides long-term affordability.
Our Mission
Deliver non-profit affordable housing at scale in Canada through community partnership, modern construction, and leading sustainability practices.
We focus on practical, repeatable approaches that help create more homes and strengthen the community housing sector’s ability to deliver over the long term.
What We Do
Create community housing partnerships
We bring together non-profits, co-operatives, Indigenous organizations, faith-based groups, services providers and public-sector partners around a clear housing plan.
Structure and coordinate projects
We help define roles, ownership, governance, operating models, budgets and delivery plans, then coordinate experienced development and construction partners.
Mobilize and manage financing
We assemble public programs, grants, insured debt, municipal tools and mission-aligned investment. We also created and administer a financing product, the Affordable Housing Guarantee Pool.
Support long-term stewardship
Depending on the project, Nesting Ground may own or co-own the housing and work with local partners on operations, resident services, programming and long-term asset stewardship.
Sustainable and modern building
We advance high-performance, low-carbon housing by integrating modern methods of construction and leading sustainability practices that can improve building performance, reduce operating costs and support long-term affordability.
Projects
Housing shaped by community.
Nesting Ground is advancing a pipeline of mixed-income, non-profit rental housing in partnership with local housing and service organizations, government, and experienced development teams.
Each project is structured around local needs. That can include affordable rental homes, market rental homes that support project viability, accessible housing, childcare, community space, resident services, and long-term operating partnerships.
More than 2,000 homes in the pipeline.
Current projects are located in Ottawa, Toronto, and Guelph. Additional project profiles will be added as partnership agreements, funding, and delivery milestones are confirmed.
Across our portfolio, Nesting Ground is pursuing strong environmental performance, modern methods of construction, and partnership models that support long-term community benefit.
384 ArlingtonOttawa, ON
This 300 unit rental building will be delivered in partnership with Perley Health, Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition and Operation Come Home.
2475 ReginaOttawa, ON
This three-building condo and rental project includes a new space for Parkway House — a non-profit care facility for people with disabilities requiring 24/7 care.
1460 RiversideOttawa, ON
This two-tower mixed-use project will be delivered in partnership with Ottawa Community Housing and will use prefabricated mass timber construction.
Our Team
Nesting Ground exists to advance affordable housing and community benefit. It is governed by an independent board of directors. We work with private-sector development and capital partners when their expertise or financing can advance a project. Those relationships operate within a non-profit-led model, with clear roles, governance, and accountability.
Leadership and Board of Directors
Nesting Ground is led by Graeme Hussey and overseen by an independent board of directors with experience in affordable housing development, social finance, public policy, governance, real estate, law, and community planning.
Graeme HusseyBoard President
Graeme Hussey is the Board President of Nesting Ground, where he provides strategic leadership to advance the organization's mission to deliver sustainable, mixed-income affordable housing at scale. A recognized national expert and frequent public speaker, Graeme is widely respected for his ability to help turn ambitious affordable housing goals into real-world delivery.
Graeme currently serves as a member of the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) Council and was on the board of the Housing Services Corporation (HSC). Previously, he was Director of Housing Development at Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC) and President of Cahdco, where he led the creation of 1,000+ affordable homes. He also spearheaded Toolbox+ by Cahdco, a national community of practice designed to build sector capacity and accelerate non-profit housing development across Canada.
Martin CoteBoard Director
Martin Coté is a founder and managing member of Bluenose AC Investments Inc., an investment vehicle formed in 2013 to invest in real estate across Canada and the United States. He brings over 20 years of experience across all real estate asset classes in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. Previously, he spent five years in the Czech Republic with RPG Real Estate (BXR Group), overseeing a 12,000-acre land portfolio and investments in Tower Group A.S., a Danish-listed company with 10,000 apartments in Germany, where he also served as CEO and led the group’s U.S. investment strategy. Mr. Coté holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree from HEC Montréal, and is Chairman of the Board of Pro REIT.
Julie FavreauBoard Director
Julie Favreau is a specialist in real estate finance and development as well as an accomplished lawyer. With her 20 years of experience in the industry, she is known for her multidisciplinary approach that focuses on innovative business models in real estate. Her focus on financing, governance, risk management and public policy in residential and well as commercial real estate makes her one of the leading figures solving the housing crisis in Quebec. She is particularly involved in heritage and religious buildings, ESG fund design as well as real estate pre-development.
Steffan JonesBoard Director
Steffan Jones is an independent housing advisor. Prior to this Steffan was with CMHC for 25 years and most recently Vice President, Business Transformation.
Cyndi Rottenberg-WalkerBoard Director
Consultant, Partner Emerita at Urban Strategies, Inc. Land use planner with experience from campus and community master plans through to development approvals and comprehensive policy studies, Cyndi leads large teams committed to effecting positive change in urban and urbanizing settings at all scales. Known for her skill in motivating diverse groups toward a common purpose, Cyndi understands what it takes to create healthy and enduring urban environments that effectively synthesize public and private interests.
Aleeya VeljiBoard Director
Aleeya Velji is the Founder and CEO of Enfin Impact, where she develops practical solutions in housing, capital deployment, and community economic development. Working across finance, policy, and social innovation, she partners with governments, investors, and community organizations to expand access to affordable housing and deliver measurable impact.
Prior to founding Enfin Impact, Aleeya held roles with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada. Her work focuses on aligning capital, strategy, and innovation to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and advance a more responsible economy.
Our Partners
Partnership is how housing gets built.
No single organization can solve the affordable housing challenge alone. Nesting Ground brings together community housing providers, service organizations, governments, development partners, and mission-aligned capital around clear roles and shared outcomes.
The result is a model that combines local knowledge with the technical, financial, and operating capacity needed to deliver and steward housing over the long term.
Nesting Ground works with organizations that bring different but complementary strengths to affordable housing delivery:
Community housing providers, non-profits and co-operatives
Indigenous organizations and communities
Faith-based and community land organizations
Health, social-service and supportive-housing providers
Municipal, provincial and federal governments and agencies
Development, design, construction and operations partners
Foundations, impact investors and other mission-aligned capital partners.
Our commitment to partners
We define roles early, document decisions, and keep community outcomes visible throughout the project. Local partners remain central to decisions about who the housing serves, how services and programming are delivered, and what long-term stewardship should look like.
People
Planet
Partnerships