More homes for women and children fleeing violence

Oshawa, Ontario, June 16, 2023

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, announced an investment of more than $82.4 million to construct and repair 212 shelter beds and transitional homes for women and children fleeing violence. Through 12 projects, this federal investment will build shelter beds and transitional homes in the following communities:

Oshawa, Ontario
Lac La Biche, Alberta
Red Deer, Alberta
Kelowna, British Columbia
Squamish, British Columbia
Terrace, British Columbia
Dog Creek, Manitoba
Fisher River, Manitoba
Fort Erie, Ontario
Kenora, Ontario
Sioux Lookout, Ontario
St. Catharines, Ontario

The Government of Canada is providing this funding through the Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative, announced in Budget 2021, under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. Today's announcement includes funding from the second window of this $250 million initiative to support the construction, repair, and operating costs of 560 shelter beds and transitional homes for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

This investment builds on $121.2 million announced in May 2021 as part of the first window to construct and repair over 430 shelter beds and transitional homes. Together, these efforts have resulted in the creation or repair of over 640 shelter beds and transitional homes, surpassing the Government of Canada’s initial target by nearly 90 units. These funds will help the Government of Canada address gender-based violence.

Quotes:

“Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. A place where a child is able to learn and grow in a stable environment. This is why the Government of Canada is providing funding to build and operate over 200 new shelter beds and transitional homes across Canada. These new shelter beds and transitional homes mean that women and children fleeing violence in communities across Canada will have more places to turn to. They will provide the foundation they need to rebuild their lives, heal, and gain independence. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”
— The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

“Our government is committed to making sure that survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence have access to affordable and safe housing across Canada. We have made an investment in the Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative to ensure that anyone who has to flee their homes will have a place where they can stay. We need to continue not only listening to survivors, but also to learning from their experiences.”
— The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick facts:

With a budget of $13.2 billion, the NHS’s National Housing Co-investment Fund (NHCF) gives priority to projects that help those in greatest need, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, those dealing with mental health and addictions, veterans and young adults.
Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes.
Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities.
Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $82 plus billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.

Additional information:

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.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

To learn more on the work of Family Violence Prevention Program in supporting Indigenous women, children, and Indigenous communities.

For information on this release:

Shiraz Keushgerian
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
shiraz.keushgerian@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Media Relations
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

Backgrounder:

Project: Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative

Today the Government of Canada announced over $82.4M for 12 projects selected under The Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative (WCSTHI) outlined in Budget 2021; a co-Investment fund to support the construction, repair and operating costs of about 560 units of transitional and shelter spaces for women and children fleeing violence.

Title: Supporting women and their children fleeing violence

The Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative falls under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) and will provide support for the construction, repair and operating costs of at least 560 shelter beds and transitional housing units for women and children fleeing violence. Funding can be used for new builds or to renovate and repair existing buildings.
The funding allocation can be used for either new builds or the revitalization of existing buildings between June 2022 and March 31, 2023.
The overall initiative funding of $250M was announced as part of Budget 2021, ensuring that the Federal Government delivers on its commitments and reinforces its efforts to address gender-based violence.
CMHC has allocated:
- The 12 projects announced today are totaling$ 82.4 million to construct and repair shelters totaling over 212 units.
This initiative is open to all shelter and transitional housing providers for women and children escaping gender-based violence.
This initiative was developed and delivered with strong collaboration from Women’s Shelter Canada, a network of 16 provincial and territorial shelter associations representing over 600 shelters across Canada.