The National Housing Co-Investment Fund – Housing Construction Stream is open to:
- community housing providers (i.e. Public or private non-profit housing organizations or rental co-operatives)
- municipalities
- provinces and territories
- Indigenous governments and organizations
- private sector
The following projects can be considered for funding:
- community and affordable housing
- urban indigenous community housing
- mixed use market / affordable rental
- new construction and/or conversion from a non-residential use to affordable multi-residential
- shelters
- transitional and supportive housing
Minimum Requirements
All projects must:
- have a minimum of 5 units/beds
- have primary use as residential
- meet minimum requirements for partnerships, financial viability, affordability, energy efficiency, and accessibility (as outlined below)
Partnerships
Partnerships are a central feature of the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. Partnerships maximize investments, ensure coordination of efforts and remove barriers to the development process. Partners will be required to contribute to the project (monetary or in-kind) and the level of contribution may vary from project to project.
Projects must have support from another level of government (such as municipalities, Provinces and/or Territories, Indigenous Government) to ensure a coordination of investments. Support can be financial in nature (monetary or in-kind) or in the form of a letter demonstrating support of the project. For financial support (capital or operating), funding would need to be confirmed at the assessment stage prior to receiving a final approval from CMHC.
Financial Viability
Applicants will have to:
- demonstrate their financial and operational ability to carry the project
- provide evidence of the financial viability of the proposed project itself
- have the capacity to deal with development risks, such as cost over-runs and delays in construction
Affordability
Applicants must:
- keep rents for a minimum of 30% of units below 80% of the Median Market Rental rate (as described in the most recent CMHC Rental Market Survey for the market and unit type in question)
- commit for a minimum of 20 years.
Accessibility:
Proponents will be expected to meet the minimum accessibility requirement that:
- Option 1 - Proponents will be expected to meet the minimum accessibility requirement that 20% of all units within the project meet or exceed accessibility standards as prescribed in Table A and that access to the project and its common areas is barrier free
- Option 2 - The entire project (common areas and dwelling units) has full universal accessibility design.
View our guide to learn more about accessibility requirements.
View our infographic to learn about some common misconceptions concerning Universal Design.
Energy Efficiency:
New projects are required to achieve either a 25% decrease in energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to the 2015 National Energy Code for Buildings or the 2015 National Building Code; OR a 15% decrease relative to the 2017 National Energy Code for Buildings.
Note: Once your project is selected, we require a confirmation of the energy efficiency and GHG emissions reduction by a qualified energy professional. Click here to learn more about Energy Efficiency requirements.
When your project is selected to proceed, you may also wish to apply for Solutions Labs or Demonstrations to allow you to overcome barriers to your projects or capitalize on opportunities to improve performance and enhance outcomes.