Rounds 1 and 2 of the Rapid Housing Initiative provided capital contributions to support the creation of new permanent affordable housing units. The funding was designed to:
- cover the rapid construction of new rental housing units and the conversion/rehabilitation of existing buildings to affordable housing.
- quickly create new affordable housing units that serve priority populations as identified in the National Housing Strategy who are, or otherwise would be in severe housing need or experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.
Round 1 (October 27, 2020 – March 31, 2021)
The first round of the Rapid Housing Initiative was announced in October 2020. The $1 billion in available funding went towards projects that helped those in severe housing need, specifically:
- people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness
- people living in temporary shelters because of the COVID-19 pandemic
The first round of this initiative exceeded its initial target of creating up to 3,000 new affordable units and will support the construction of more than 4,700 units across Canada.
Round 2 (June 30, 2021 – March 31, 2022)
Budget 2021 provided an additional investment of $1.5 billion in new funding for the Rapid Housing Initiative in 2021 and 2022 to address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians.
The second round of the Rapid Housing Initiative exceeded its initial target of creating 4,500 new affordable units and is expected to create over 5,400 new units across Canada.
Rapid Housing Initiative 1 and 2 results combined
The total number of units expected to be created with the support from both rounds of the Rapid Housing Initiative will exceed 10,000 new units. The details are as follows:
Province/Territory | Total |
---|---|
Units / Beds | |
Alberta | 1,268 |
British Columbia | 1,177 |
Manitoba | 466 |
New Brunswick | 185 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 150 |
Northwest Territories | 49 |
Nova Scotia | 305 |
Nunavut | 134 |
Ontario | 2,870 |
Prince Edward Island | 43 |
Quebec | 3,146 |
Saskatchewan | 312 |
Yukon | 149 |
Grand Total | 10,254 |
Combined totals from the Rapid Housing Initiative, Round 1 (June 2021) data
plus the Rapid Housing Initiative, Round 2 (January 2022) data.
Due to the nature of construction projects, variance in the number of units
to be created is possible. The final results on the number of units
delivered will be known when projects are completed.
You can find quarterly updates about the Rapid Housing Initiative on our Place to Call Home website.