The Government of Canada supports Community Housing

Ottawa, Ontario, January 13, 2022

Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Since the start of the pandemic, COVID-19 has increased the need for affordable housing and led to rising levels of homelessness. The Government of Canada created the National Housing Strategy to build hundreds of thousands of units and provide affordable housing to people from coast to coast to coast. By continuing to make investments in affordable housing, the federal government is building stronger communities, creating jobs, and growing our middle class — all while fighting homelessness and helping vulnerable Canadians.

As part of the National Housing Strategy, the Government of Canada has invested $500 million over 10 years for a Federal Community Housing Initiative (FCHI) to protect affordability for residents. These funds will stabilize the operations of some 55,000 community housing units with operating agreements under federal administration having come to an end post April 1, 2016.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, announced an additional $118.2 million over seven years, for Phase 2 of the FCHI for former federally administered housing providers whose agreements expired prior to April 1, 2016. These funds are estimated to be able to support and stabilize the operations of some 18,000 community housing units by ensuring affordability for low-income residents.

Enrolment packages will be sent to housing providers that are deemed eligible in the coming weeks. To find out more about the Eligibility and Enrollment process, visit Federal Community Housing Initiative web page.

Quotes:

“5 years ago, our Government announced Canada’s first ever National Housing Strategy, our $72+ billion plan to ensure all Canadians have a place to call home. Our measures have come a long way since then, and with the Federal Community Housing Initiative, we are another step closer to turning our vision into a reality. This Phase 2 extension ensures that families don’t have to worry about keeping a roof over their heads, and provides safe, affordable housing that meets their needs.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

“The many positive impacts of community housing are very close to home for me, as I grew up at Chautauqua Co-op with my family. I am so proud that our Government is investing across the housing spectrum to create affordability for everyone living in Canada, and that includes providing supports for community housing. In total, the Federal Community Housing Initiative is providing over $600 million towards rental assistance for low-income households and for community housing providers. This will ensure that everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.”
— Adam van Koeverden, Member of Parliament for Milton

“Community housing is an important part of how we can build a better future for all Canadians. This $118.2 million investment into the Federal Community Housing Initiative will support the most vulnerable, who have faced especially challenging times over the past two years through the pandemic. This will go a long way to ensure that folks have a reliable roof over their head.”
— Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Member of Parliament for Hochelaga and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing)

“We welcome the federal government's investment in community housing, which will ensure rent levels remain affordable for low-income households living in co-operative and non-profit housing previously administered by the federal government. Today's announcement provides both housing security and affordability for individuals and families, as well as certainty for co-operative and non-profit housing providers.”
— Tim Ross, Executive Director, Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada)

Quick facts:

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.

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.

For information on this release:

Daniele Medlej
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
Daniele.Medlej@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

Backgrounder: Federal Community Housing Initiative

Canada’s community housing stock is home to more than 518,000 families and individuals (2017), including some of the most vulnerable Canadians. This stock was built under a variety of federal, provincial and territorial social housing programs that ran from the 1940s to the early 1990s. Community housing stock offers the most affordable housing in the country and is a critical part of our communities.

The Federal Community Housing Initiative addresses the federally administered component of the overall community housing stock comprising 55,000 units.

Phase 1 of the Federal Community Housing Initiative provided $38 million in federal funding over the two-year period between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2020. Under Phase 1, federally administered housing providers with long-term operating agreements that had ended between April 1, 2016 and February 28, 2020, continued to receive the same level of subsidy provided under existing agreements until March 31, 2020.

The objective of Phase 1 was to maintain low-income households, protect affordability of the federally administered community housing stock, stabilize operations of housing providers and ensure no net loss of the federally administered community housing stock.

Phase 2 provides $462 million in funding commencing from September 1, 2020 to March 31, 2028. This investment is helping to stabilize the operations of some 55,000 units of federally administered community housing projects by providing rent support to community housing units occupied by low-income households, and transitional support for projects in need.

Phase 2 funding applied to federal operating agreements expiring between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2027. New agreements are being put in place as old ones expire, to ensure community housing providers will continue to receive funding to subsidize rents for residents in need.

Budget 2021 announced an additional $118.2 million over seven years, starting in 2021 – 22, through the Federal Community Housing Initiative, Phase 2. This additional funding applies to federal operating agreements expiring prior to April 1, 2016 to support community housing providers that deliver long-term housing to many of our most vulnerable and to support the affordability of housing to low-income households.

The Federal Government has consulted on the development of the Federal Community Housing Initiative with sector stakeholders and the non-profit and co-operative housing providers that own federally administered community housing.