Designed to help community housing projects reaching the end of their operating agreements from past social and affordable housing programs.
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IMPORTANT
Housing providers who are currently enrolled in the program and would like to increase the number of households receiving rental assistance may be eligible for additional funding.
Housing providers who were previously eligible, but not currently enrolled and now wish to receive assistance may also be eligible to do so.
Please refer to the Eligibility and Enrolment section for more information.
For more details, contact us at fchi2-iflc2@cmhc-schl.gc.ca.
The Federal Community Housing Initiative is a $618.2 million fund designed to support community housing projects reaching the end of their operating agreements from past social and affordable housing programs.
Phase 1 provided $38 million in federal funding over a 2-year period (from 2018-2020).
Phase 2 provides $580.2 million in funding for housing providers whose agreements have expired or will expire by March 31, 2028. It has 2 streams of funding:
There are 2 general rules to be eligible to receive funding through the Initiative:
Eligible housing providers will receive an invitation from CMHC at least 6 months before the end of their federal operating agreement.
Eligible housing providers not currently enrolled in the program may request to join the Federal Community Housing Initiative – Phase 2 outside of their initial eligibility date. Interested housing providers should contact the Federal Community Housing Initiative – Phase 2 team (fchi2-iflc2@cmhc-schl.gc.ca) to request an enrolment package.
In both situations, a completed application must be submitted to CMHC for a request to be considered.
Once a housing provider receives an enrolment package, they will need to confirm that there is at least 1 household in need of rental assistance. If there is a need and the housing provider would like to request assistance, a completed application must be submitted to CMHC. You should receive a response to your completed application within 60 days of it being received by CMHC.
IMPORTANT
Applying does not guarantee funding. It starts the process during which CMHC will assess your request.
Funding provided should be managed as a budget envelope and should be divided amongst the low-income households in need.
Eligible households will need to complete the Request for Rental Assistance - Declaration form. The housing provider will then complete the Rental Assistance Calculation Worksheet to determine how much rental assistance will be allocated to each household.
The Request for Rental Assistance - Declaration form and the Rental Assistance Calculation Worksheet need to be completed upon enrolment and updated throughout the year or every 12 months at a minimum.
Need a Revision to Your Agreement?
As situations change, you may need to request changes to the number of households that require rental assistance or the amount of rental assistance being provided.
The decision to request a change to the amount of assistance received or the number of households included in the agreement rests with the housing provider.
IMPORTANT
If your agreement has changed, you will need to recalculate the amount of rental assistance to be applied to households' occupancy charge.
| Revise the Amount of Rental Assistance Received | Revise the Number of Households Included in the Agreement |
|---|---|
|
When to request an increase When to request a decrease |
When to request an increase When to request a decrease |
Questions on Annual Reporting?
Note: For clients with agreements administered by the Agency for Co-operative Housing, please contact the Agency for more information at info@agency.coop.
To ensure that funding disbursed to housing providers is used according to the program guidelines, housing providers must submit the following documents annually:
Resources, including guides and templates, have been developed to help housing providers prepare their annual reporting documents. These resources are updated annually – make sure to use the latest versions available.
Annual Report on the use of rental assistance (all housing providers, except those in Quebec) (XSL)
Annual Report on the use of rental assistance (only housing providers in Quebec) (XSL)
Guide for Preparing the Financial Statements (PDF)
Financial Statements Template (XSL)
Key activities under the FCHI-2 program (PDF)
Federal Community Housing Initiative – Phase 2 Reference Guide (PDF)
Request for Rental Assistance - Declaration (PDF)
Rental Assistance Calculation Worksheet (Excel)
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