The Canadian government announced Temporary Rental Assistance funding of up to CA$15m to support social housing organisations, including housing co-ops, in providing affordable accommodation to persons of low income.
Launched on 1 February, the scheme is an exceptional one-time assistance that will be offered to providers of non-profit and co-operative housing between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022.
Ahmed Hussen, minister of families, children and social development and minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), said: “Our government is taking all the necessary steps to ensure that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Thanks to this new funding, we are able to lend a helping hand to families and individuals in need from coast to coast to coast. We remain committed to address housing need across Canada.”
Tim Ross, the executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHFC), said: “We are very pleased by today’s announcement of rental assistance for low-income households. During the pandemic, it’s become clear that supporting vulnerable individuals and families is more important than ever.
“We thank Minister Hussen for this funding, and we look forward to continuing to work together to improve housing outcomes for all Canadians.”
Housing co-ops play a key role in the government’s Federal Community Housing Initiative, which forms part of its National Housing Strategy. The government pledged to invest CA$500m over 10 years to protect affordability for residents and stabilise the operations of 55,000 units of federally administered community housing projects.
Canada has over 2,200 housing co-ops, which provide homes for a quarter of a million people in over 90,000 households.
