Canada Supports Rapid Housing project in Nova Scotia

SIPEKNE'KATIK, NS, May 13, 2021 /CNW/ - Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The COVID-19 crisis has made it clear that affordable housing is key to Canada's recovery. Budget 2021 is a plan to bridge Canadians through the crisis and towards a robust recovery.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants, announced close to $2.73 million, through the Projects Stream of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI).  This funding will support the construction of a 20 unit project offering permanent, affordable housing to those who are experiencing homelessness in Nova Scotia's Indigenous community. Of note, half the units will be targeted to women and children.  

Delivered by CMHC, under the National Housing Strategy (NHS), RHI provides capital contributions to develop new, permanent affordable housing by covering costs associated with modular multi-unit rental construction; conversion of non-residential to affordable multi-residential homes; and, rehabilitation of buildings in disrepair and/or abandoned to affordable multi-residential homes. Investments made under the RHI are expected to support thousands of construction-related jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Quotes:

"Through the Rapid Housing Initiative, our Government is moving faster than ever to provide more affordable housing to keep vulnerable Canadians out of harm's way. It is through the RHI that we are able to quickly provide these 20 new, safe and affordable housing units for at-risk individuals in Sipekne'katik. The new commitment to RHI through Budget 2021 will continue to make a real impact on families here in Nova Scotia and across the country." – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

"The rise in housing prices and demand in our province have created challenges for Nova Scotians when it comes to finding an affordable place to call home, so I'm really pleased to see our government making investments in our communities through the Rapid Housing Initiative. Through this program and its enhancements in Budget 2021, we are supporting those who are most vulnerable, creating good jobs and contributing to a better Nova Scotia." – Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants

"As one of the largest Mi'kmaq communities in the region with a continuously growing population, housing has been a critical issue for decades. With a capacity to provide only 3-4 new homes yearly within our annual budget it would take nearly a century before we could accommodate our current housing needs. We are very pleased that over the short to medium term this Rapid Housing Initiative funding will provide housing for some of our most vulnerable community members, women and children in particular." – Chief Mike Sack, Sipekne'katik First Nation

Quick facts

• The project received a contribution $681,340 from Sipekne'katik First Nation, of which $100,000 are funds which were provided to Sipekne'katik by Indigenous Services Canada.
  
  
• In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada invested an additional $1.5 billion in new funding for the Rapid Housing Initiative in 2021-2022, to address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians by providing them with permanent affordable housing.
  
  
• At least 25 percent of this new funding will go towards women-focused housing projects. All units will be constructed within 12 months of when funding is provided to applicants.
  
  
• This investment will more than triple the initial target set under the Rapid Housing Initiative as the program will now help create over 9,200 affordable housing units across the country.
  
  
• Overall, this new funding will add a minimum of 4,500 new affordable units to Canada's housing supply, building on the 4,700 units already funded in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement through its $1 billion investment.
  
  
• Under the RHI Projects Stream $500 million was available through an application-based process, which closed on December 31, 2020. Funding was available to Provinces, Territories, and Municipalities, Indigenous governing bodies and organizations, and non-profit organizations.
  
  
• RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and others who are among the most vulnerable, including: women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people dealing with mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2+, racialized groups, Black Canadians, and recent immigrants or refugees.
  
  
• With the $1 billion RHI, the Government of Canada will support the creation of over 4,700  permanent, new affordable housing units across Canada, of which nearly 40% are for Indigenous peoples. These units will help address urgent housing needs for vulnerable Canadians.
  
  
• Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home—this includes more than $13 billion committed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

Associated links:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Canada's COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
• Rapid Housing Initiative 
• National Housing Strategy

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. CMHC's aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford, and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Media contacts: Mikaela Harrison, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, [email protected]; Brie Martin, Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation,[email protected]