Ana Bailão, chief executive of Build Canada Homes, unveiled the federal agency’s new proposal portal for housing projects during a keynote address at the Empire Club in Toronto on Thursday.

“For decades, we’ve talked about housing as a challenge and now today, we know it’s more than that. It’s a test of who we are as a nation,” said Bailão during her talk about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s housing initiative. “Across the country, families are being squeezed by rising rents, young people are leaving cities they love, communities are struggling to keep pace with demand.”

Build Canada Homes is a new federal agency focused on non-market housing, supporting the growth and financing of affordable housing for low- and middle-income households, leveraging public lands and financial incentives for builders.

The agency’s new portal will be focusing on two kinds of projects, said Bailão after her address, during a Q&A period with Amanda Alvaro, co-host of politics podcast, Beyond a Ballot.