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With support from La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, The Shift has developed Hidden Housing, a new approach to increasing affordable housing supply that prioritizes the conversion, renovation, and repurposing of Canada’s vast stock of vacant and underutilized buildings as a faster, cheaper, and more sustainable alternative to new construction. Drawing on evidence that building new alone has consistently failed to deliver affordability, this briefing note makes the case for Build Canada Homes to adopt Hidden Housing as a core strategy, outlining the financial, environmental, and human rights arguments for unlocking existing built assets before pouring new concrete. The brief concludes with six concrete recommendations for how BCH can integrate Hidden Housing into its mandate, ensuring public dollars reach those most in need.