[homeles_ot-l] Provincial / Federal Affordable Housing News - $120, 000 per new unit

Wed Jun 10 16:32:20 EDT 2009

Provincial / Federal Affordable Housing News

Yesterday, ATEH met with Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and
Housing. He shared a few more details on the Ontario agreement announced in
the media release below:

*         The stimulus funding will not be allocated on a per capita basis.
Cities must put forth proposals to take advantage of the funds for 4,500 new
units.

*         There will be a second round of funding this fall. 

*         The funding will provide up to $28,000 per unit for repairs and
$120,000 per new unit – a significant increase and very welcome news for
affordable housing in Ottawa!

He pointed out that communities like Peterborough have put in quite a few
proposals (more at HYPERLINK
"http://www.deandelmastro.ca/EN/6647/88646"http://www.deandelmastro.ca/EN/66
47/88646 ). He is aware of two projects that are ready to go in Ottawa.

Today, the province formally announced that Ontario is providing $5 million
annually as stabilized, ongoing funding for the Rent Bank program. 

Ottawa has been allocated $368,402. Under this program, a tenant who is
facing eviction for non-payment of rent can apply to the local rent bank to
receive financial assistance. The Salvation Army Booth Centre administers
the program on behalf of the city of Ottawa.

Please watch for a municipal update tomorrow morning,

Lynne

Lynne Browne

Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH)

147 Besserer St., Ottawa, ON K1N 6A7

613-241-7913, ext. 205

HYPERLINK "http://www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca/"www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca

Affordable Housing in Ontario Gets a $1.2 Billion Boost

TORONTO, ON, June 9, 2009 — The Government of Canada and the Province of
Ontario are partnering on a joint investment to build new and renovate
existing affordable housing. This investment will help create jobs,
strengthen the economy, and improve the quality of life for residents of
Ontario.

Both levels of government officially signed an amendment to the Canada –
Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement, resulting in a joint
investment of more than $1.2 billion over the next two years.

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation (CMHC) and the Honourable Jim Watson, Ontario Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Housing, made the announcement today.

“This government is working hard to support Canadians during these
challenging economic times, and we are moving aggressively to ensure
Canada’s Economic Action Plan is implemented rapidly,” said Minister Finley.
“We are helping the most vulnerable, including seniors and persons with
disabilities, access suitable, affordable housing, as well as making needed
renovations to existing social housing both in Ontario and across Canada.”

“The McGuinty government is pleased to be working with our federal partners
to increase the supply of affordable housing,” said Minister Watson. “This
investment will stimulate our economy while improving access to safe,
healthy and affordable housing. For many people, living on fixed or low
incomes, these programs are their opportunity to get a place to call home.”

Today’s announcement includes federal funding of $535 million over two years
under Canada’s Economic Action Plan as part of a one-time investment of more
than $2 billion to build new and renovate existing social housing in Canada.
The Province will also contribute $535 million for these initiatives, over
the next two years.

These investments build upon the $1.9 billion commitment for housing and
homelessness programs announced by the Government of Canada in September
2008, which extended the Affordable Housing Initiative and the renovation
programs for low-income households for two years.

Overall, the federal contribution from these investments is $622 million,
while the Province is contributing a further $622 million for the combined
investment of more than $1.2 billion.

CMHC has been Canada’s national housing agency for more than 60 years. CMHC
is committed to helping Canadians access a wide choice of quality,
affordable homes and making vibrant and sustainable communities and cities a
reality across the country.

To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to
build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at
1-800-668-2642 or visit HYPERLINK
"javascript:HandleLink('cpe_1752_0','CPNEWWIN:NewWindow%5Etop=10,left=10,wid
th=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scro
llbars=1,resizable=1 at http://www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan/');"www.cmhc.ca/ho
usingactionplan. For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, call
1-800-O Canada or visit HYPERLINK
"javascript:HandleLink('cpe_1752_0','CPNEWWIN:NewWindow%5Etop=10,left=10,wid
th=500,height=400,toolbar=1,location=1,directories=0,status=1,menubar=1,scro
llbars=1,resizable=1 at http://www.actionplan.gc.ca/');"www.actionplan.gc.ca.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
Tel.: 819-994-2482
Email: HYPERLINK
"mailto:michelle.bakos at hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca"michelle.bakos at hrsdc-rhdsc.gc.ca 

Nicole Burgers
Consultant
Communications and Marketing
CMHC
Ontario Business Centre
Tel.: 416-250-2760
Email: HYPERLINK "mailto:nburgers at cmhc.ca"nburgers at cmhc.ca

Adam Grachnik
Minister Jim Watson’s Office
Tel.: 416-585-6492 

Backgrounder

Investments in Affordable Housing for Canadians

The Government of Canada’s commitment to affordable housing is significant.

Overall, Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides a total of $7.8 billion to
build quality housing, stimulate construction, create jobs, encourage home
ownership and enhance the energy efficiency of Canadian homes. In the
process, it will provide new and renovated housing for more than 200,000
Canadian households.

Of the $7.8 billion, more than $2 billion is provided through CMHC to build
new and renovate existing social housing. This will include:

*                         $1 billion for social housing renovation; 

*                         $600 million for new housing and repairs to
existing social housing on-reserve and in the North broken down as follows: 

*	$400 million for on-reserve communities 
*	$200 million for the North 

*                         $400 million for housing for low-income seniors;
and 

*                         $75 million for housing for people with
disabilities. 

Most of this funding, $1.525 billion of the more than $2 billion, is being
delivered by provinces and territories through amendments to existing
agreements. Provinces and territories will design and deliver these
initiatives, as well as cost-match the federal investment.

The federal government will directly deliver the remaining $550 million of
this $2 billion funding: $150 million for the renovation and retrofit of
social housing projects administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing
Corporation (CMHC), and $400 million in new construction and repair for
housing on-reserve through CMHC and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

These investments build upon the $1.9 billion commitment for housing and
homelessness programs announced by the Government of Canada in September
2008, which extended the Affordable Housing Initiative and the renovation
programs for low-income households for two years. Overall, for both the
stimulus funding and the AHI extension, the federal contribution is $622
million, while the Province is contributing a further $622 million for the
combined investment of more than $1.2 billion.

In addition, as part of the two-year extension of the renovation programs,
$73 million in federal funding will be available to assist low income
households with needed renovations to their homes.

As well, up to $2 billion in low-cost repayable loans for housing-related
infrastructure projects will be made available to towns and cities across
the country.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, spends approximately $1.7 billion
annually to support almost 625,000 low- and moderate-income households in
existing social housing across Canada. In Ontario, the federal government
provides almost $739 million annually to support some 238,500 households.

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