Canada supports rapid housing projects in Winnipeg

Winnipeg, Manitoba, January 11, 2022

Everyone in Canada deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for affordable housing. The Government of Canada created a national strategy to build and renovate hundreds of thousands of units and provide affordable housing to people across the country. By continuing to make investments in affordable housing, the government is building stronger communities, creating jobs, and growing our middle class, while fighting homelessness and helping vulnerable Canadians.

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, alongside the Honourable Rochelle Squires, Manitoba’s Minister of Families, and Brian Bowman, Mayor of Winnipeg, today announced more than $12.7 million to create an estimated 59 new affordable homes for individuals and families in Winnipeg through the Cities Stream under the expanded Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). These housing units will support Canadians in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters because of the pandemic.

To make this announcement, Minister Hussen was joined by the Honourable Jim Carr, and the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs.

These funds will go towards three new affordable housing projects located in Winnipeg.

The first project, located at 670 Main Street, will be operated by Manitoba Metis Federation and will convert an existing building into 22 residential units for Indigenous people.
The second project located at 590 Victor Street will be operated by West Central Women’s Resource Centre. It will rehabilitate and repair an existing building to create 16 homes for women and children fleeing domestic violence.
The third and final project, operated by Westminster Housing Society, will be modularly constructed at 545 Broadway Avenue and will assemble 21 new homes for LGBTQ2+ Canadians.

This is in addition to the Government of Canada’s previous investment of $12.5 million through the first phase of the Rapid Housing Initiative to support the creation of 77 housing units in Winnipeg.

In addition, in Manitoba under the projects stream, $16.6 million was previously allocated to construct 80 new homes in the following six Indigenous communities: Hollow Water First Nation (10 units), Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (8 units), Norway House Cree Nation (28 units), Peguis First Nation (18 units), Tataskweyak Cree Nation (10 units) and Little Grand Rapids First Nation (6 units).

New investments under the Rapid Housing Initiative will create thousands of good jobs in the housing and construction sector, grow the middle class, and build back stronger communities, while getting us closer to our goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada.

Quotes:

“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Today's funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative will go a long way to support those who need it most by quickly providing 59 new affordable homes for vulnerable individuals and families in Winnipeg, including some of the most vulnerable among us, to keep them safe. This is one of the ways our National Housing Strategy continues to ensure no one is left behind.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

“Everyone deserves a roof over their head and a safe place to call home. The Rapid Housing Initiative is already having a real impact on our most vulnerable citizens who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of being homeless. Today’s announcement of additional funding through the RHI will further help Indigenous people find a home, and provide security to women and children fleeing domestic violence and LGBTQ2+ citizens searching for a safe place to be themselves. I would like to thank our community and government partners for their ongoing support and commitment to create affordable housing in Winnipeg and across Manitoba.”
— The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface – Saint Vital

“This investment is improving affordable and supportive housing in our City and is facilitating real change for our priority groups that need it most. These projects are a result of great partnerships, coming together to respond to a grave housing need in Winnipeg. This is the Rapid Housing Initiative at work.”
— The Honourable Jim Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre

“We are working hard to ensure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Building rapid housing in major urban centres like Winnipeg and addressing the specific needs and challenges that municipalities face in the housing sector, is a crucial and necessary step our government has taken to end chronic homelessness.”
— Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South

“Ensuring everyone has access to safe, affordable quality housing provides families with stability, frees up resources for other priorities, improves access to health care and other supports, and ensures people can become an integral part of a vital neighbourhood community. These projects will make a very real difference for some very vulnerable Manitobans, and we are pleased to partner with the federal government, the City of Winnipeg and other community partners to build on our commitment to invest in affordable housing for those at risk of homelessness.”
— The Honourable Rochelle Squires, Manitoba’s Minister of Families and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba

“Through two rounds of funding, the Rapid Housing Initiative has helped create over 130 additional units of much needed affordable housing in Winnipeg," said Mayor Brian Bowman. "There is more work to do in addressing the lack of affordable housing that continues to be an issue in cities across Canada and today's announcement is helping to make progress. Thank you to our government partners and the funding recipients for helping address this critical need in our city.”
— Brian Bowman, Mayor of Winnipeg

“Today’s funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative will go a long way by quickly providing transitional homes for vulnerable individuals and families in Winnipeg to keep them safe. Our Metis government aims to provide that safety net for all Citizens who are facing complex challenges in these uncertain times, and we understand that action is needed now more than ever to stop chronic homelessness from spreading. The Manitoba Metis Federation would like to thank the Government of Canada and the City of Winnipeg for their ongoing support and commitment through the Rapid Housing Initiative.”
— Will Goodon, Minister of Housing & Property Management for the Manitoba Metis Federation

“Manitoba has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the country. Often people return to a violent partner because there are insufficient supports available to them after they exit the shelter system. This new building will provide wrap around supports for tenants and will offer them a place where they can safely begin to heal and rebuild their lives. We are grateful for this incredible support to make this space a reality.”
— Lorie English, West Central Women’s Resource Centre

“This funding will be life-changing for 21 very low-income Winnipeg families, particularly folks who are LGBTQ2S+ and who struggle to find safe, high-quality housing that also comes with a sense of community. Poverty and homelessness are Winnipeg's most pressing problem, and this funding allows Westminster Housing to continue to help solve it.”
— Mary Agnes Welch, chair, Westminster Housing Society

Quick facts:

The RHI is delivered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), under the National Housing Strategy (NHS).
Canada’s NHS is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home. Launched in 2017, the NHS will build and repair thousands of housing units, and help households with affordability support.
The RHI is a $1 billion program launched in October 2020 to help address urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of affordable housing.
Due to this success, an additional $1.5 billion for the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) was announced through Budget 2021 with $500 million in funding under the Cities Stream being allocated to the following municipalities: Burnaby, Calgary, Capital Regional District, Durham, Edmonton, Gatineau, Greater Sudbury, Halifax, Hamilton, Iqaluit, Kingston, Laval, London, Longueil, Montreal, Niagara, Ottawa, Peel, Quebec, Regina, Saskatoon, Surrey, St. John’s, Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo, Whitehorse, Windsor, Winnipeg, and Yellowknife. Under the Projects Stream: $1 billion has been allocated to eligible applications submitted during the RHI’s initial application period last fall and having not yet received funding.
Based on feedback from stakeholders, this summer CMHC introduced new flexibilities to the RHI:
- Program applicants were eligible to receive funding for additional forms of new construction beyond modular, if units can be built within 12 months.
- Non-profits had the opportunity to demonstrate that they have the financial capacity to support the viability of units without government subsidy (self-funded).
- Cities were provided a longer time to submit projects (60 days instead of 30).
- Project delivery timelines were adjusted for projects located in the North and special access communities.
At least 25 per cent of this new funding will go toward women-focused housing projects. The units will be built within 12 months of when funding is provided to program applicants.
The RHI will continue to prioritize proposals that target units serving Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups. It will also continue to provide flexibilities on timelines to Indigenous governing bodies or organizations as needed.
The RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other vulnerable people under the NHS, including: women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people experiencing mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2 individuals, racialized and Black Canadians, and recent immigrants or refugees.
CMHC supports the government’s efforts to improve the well-being of Canadians facing housing and homelessness challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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As Canada’s authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. CMHC’s aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.