FREDERICTON, NB, Feb. 16, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canada-New Brunswick Housing Benefit program will be expanding eligibility to include more low-income people. The program, which provides short-term funding to help make ends meet, has been expanded to help single individuals who live alone and who have employment incomes between $12,500 and $50,000.
When it was first launched in June 2021, the program provided a short-term rental affordability benefit to families with employment incomes from $14,000 to $38,000. It was later expanded to assist more families by raising the income eligibility criteria from $12,500 to $50,000. Now, by further expanding the program to people living alone, an estimated 10,000 more residents will be eligible.
Since 2021, the program has aimed to support about 6,700 households in the province over a period of seven years. As of January 31, 2023, 1,255 households have been approved, which benefits about 4,400 people. The benefit is portable and delivered directly to households, not to the housing unit or landlord, as a result it can move with households to any other rental unit in the province.
More program details and information on the application process are available online. Any questions about the application process can be emailed to [email protected]. Assistance is also available by phone by calling 211.
Quotes:
"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. To respond to increased cost of living, we are expanding the Canada–New Brunswick Housing Benefit to help ensure that hard working New Brunswickers in need don't get left behind. The Canada Housing Benefit is a key pillar of the National Housing Strategy that will help families across New Brunswick and Canada. Together, we will build strong communities where Canadians can prosper and thrive, now and for the future. This is our government's National Housing Strategy at work." – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
"As New Brunswickers continue to face economic challenges, we are pleased to be able to work with our federal colleagues again to help more hardworking residents have access to this important resource. By expanding the program eligibility, we can help ensure they do not have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table." – The Honourable Dorothy Shephard, Provincial Minister of Social Development
Quick facts:
- The $98.3 million Canada– New Brunswick Housing Benefit is in addition to the Canada–New Brunswick Bilateral Agreement, a 10-year agreement announced in July 2018 which represents a joint investment of approximately $299.2 million that will provide long-term, predictable funding to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, and support New Brunswick's priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability.
- The federal government announced in November 2017 that it will invest $2 billion in a new Canada Housing Benefit as part of the National Housing Strategy. This funding will be cost-matched by provinces and territories for a total $4-billion investment.
- The intent of the Canada Housing Benefit is to provide relief from high shelter costs to low-income households who need it the most and who typically have fewer affordable housing options.
- The Canada Housing Benefit aims to reduce housing need for some of Canada's most vulnerable, and will be delivered directly to households to help address their housing affordability challenges.
- Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $82-plus billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
- NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, and people with lived experience of housing need.
- All NHS investments delivered by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments will respect the key principles of NHS that support partnerships, people, and communities.
Related 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. CMHC's aim is that, by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home that they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca, or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
- To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, please visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Brittany Hendrych, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]; Rebecca Howland, Communications, Department of Social Development, 506-453-4447, [email protected].
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