CANADA SUPPORTS 36 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS IN NEW GLASGOW

NEW GLASGOW, NS, May 26, 2022 /CNW/ - Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Affordable housing is key to Canada's pandemic recovery, including in New Glasgow.

Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova, on behalf of the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion announced close to $2.1 million in federal funding to support the construction of 36 permanent affordable housing units for individuals and families in New Glasgow under the Rapid Housing Initiative.

The project is also receiving $ 3 million dollars from the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing to be used to provide operating support and to help ensure affordability of the housing units.

Under the National Housing Strategy (NHS), RHI provides funding to develop new, permanent affordable housing by covering costs associated with the construction of new rental housing units, as well as the acquisition of land, and the conversion/rehabilitation of existing buildings to affordable housing.  Investments made under the RHI are expected to support thousands of construction-related jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

"Our Government wants to ensure that everyone in Canada has a safe and affordable place to call home. The Rapid Housing Initiative will go a long way to supporting those who need it most by quickly providing 36 new affordable housing units for individuals and families who need it most. This is the National Housing Strategy at work. ? The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

Today's announcement is a strategic investment that will help address one of the core issues facing our community ? affordable housing. I'm thrilled to announce a federal investment of over $2 million dollars right here in Pictou County that will see 36 families gain access to safe, affordable housing through our government's National Housing Strategy. ? The Honourable Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova

"We know addressing the housing crisis requires community partners and all levels of government to come together. It's initiatives like Coady's Place that make a real difference in our community and provide a sense of security. We continue to do whatever we can to make sure Nova Scotians have a place to call home." 
-The Honourable Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia

"Our Council and Staff understand the importance of safe, secure, affordable housing options for our citizens.  The Nova Scotia Cooperative Council is a trusted organization and the Town of New Glasgow is proud to make an annual investment of a taxation exemption for the next twenty years so the NS Cooperative Council can continue their good work in creating housing solutions in our community." - Mayor Nancy Dicks on behalf of the Town of New Glasgow

"We are thrilled to have brought Coady's Place to life in New Glasgow. Since acquiring the facility in February, we have expanded the facility and renovated every unit. We will have "heads on pillows" in all 36 units by July 1^st. What a wonderful way to celebrate Canada Day! While the project is uplifting for the team and the community, it is also heart wrenching in that there is so much need. We have 82 applications for 36 units. Demand far exceeds our supply, which is why we are committed to a phase two, which will see an additional 20 duplex style, two- and three-bedroom homes developed on the land owned by Coady's Place". ? Dianne Kelderman, President and CEO, Nova Scotia Cooperative Council

• The RHI is a $2.5 billion program to help address urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians through the rapid construction of over 10,000 units of affordable housing.
• The RHI has received significant interest from Indigenous groups, which has resulted in 41% of all units created under the program being targeted to Indigenous peoples.
• Units are intended to be constructed within 12 months of when funding is provided to program applicants (with some exceptions), with units in the North and in special access communities intended to be constructed within 18 months.
• Close to 33 per cent of this new funding will go toward women-focused housing projects. The units will be built within 12 months of when funding is provided to program applicants.
• The RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other vulnerable people under the NHS, including women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people experiencing mental health and addiction issues, veterans, LGBTQ2 individuals, racialized and Black Canadians, and recent immigrants or refugees.
• Through Budget 2022, we are investing $1.5 billion to further extend our $2.5 billion Rapid Housing Initiative and build an additional 6,000 deeply affordable housing units.  
• The Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $72 billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.

• 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