Governments of Canada and Yukon Sign Housing Benefit

Whitehorse, Yukon, November 4, 2020

Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why the Government of Canada partnered with the Government of Yukon to provide additional support to hundreds of low-income households across the territory between now and 2027.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with Pauline Frost, Minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation, announced the Canada – Yukon Housing benefit, a direct to household benefit program which will help low to moderate income Yukoners in rental housing who cannot afford rent for a home that meets their needs. The program includes $9.1 million of new federal funding, combined with a mix of territorial cost matching, for a total of $18.2 million that will support affordable housing subsidies for Yukoners.

The Canada – Yukon Housing Benefit prioritizes households in need and the tenant can continue to receive the benefit if they move to another home within the territory. Depending on their household income and size of family, applicants can receive $200, $400, $600, or $800 per month.

Yukoners can apply to the Yukon Housing Corporation at https://yukon.ca/apply-Canada-Yukon-housing-benefit

The Canada – Yukon Housing Benefit builds on the Canada – Yukon Bilateral Agreement, announced last year under the National Housing Strategy, which will provide more than $75 million to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, and support Yukon’s priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability.

Quotes:

“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Today, with the Government of Yukon, we have taken a significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Yukoners can prosper and thrive, now and for the future.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

“For the first time in a generation, the federal government is back into affordable housing with our National Housing Strategy. The Canada – Yukon Housing Benefit is a key component in developing an ambitious 10-year plan for the housing sector, and to make real progress for Yukoners. I remain committed to working with all levels of government to ensure that our communities have access to safe, affordable, and stable housing.”
— Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon

“The Canada – Yukon Housing Benefit will contribute to a sustainable and resilient housing continuum. This program will help us achieve the goals of the Housing Action Plan for Yukon where Yukoners with a moderate to low income are able to rent a home that meets their needs and that they can afford.”
— Pauline Frost, Minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation

Quick facts:

This program is for Yukon households that make less than $103,070 in gross income per year. This is called the Affordable Household Income Limit.
The amount an eligible household receives through this program will be based on the size of home required for their family size.
Yukoners who are approved for the program will start receiving Canada – Yukon Housing Benefit before December 1, 2020.
The Government of Canada will invest $2 billion in the Canada Housing Benefit across the country, which will be cost-matched by provinces and territories for a total $4-billion investment over 8 years, starting in spring 2020. The federal government and provinces and territories are working together to co-develop 13 housing benefit programs, one for each jurisdiction, that will respond to local housing affordability challenges.
The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS), an ambitious 10-year, $55 billion plan that will create 125,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.

Associated links:

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. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

Housing Action Plan for Yukon