The housing benefit program will reach more families

Access to affordable housing is top of mind for many Canadians. As working families feel the continued impact of the pandemic, some are left to make the impossible choice between making rent or putting food on the table.

Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That’s why the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick launched the Canada – New Brunswick Housing Benefit, a program providing short-term funding assistance to help support New Brunswickers. This program will help support families with employment income from $12,500 up to $50,000.

Launched in June, the Canada – New Brunswick Housing Benefit program was initially designed to offer a short-term benefit to families with employment income from $14,000 up to $38,000. Now, with changes to program criteria, even more households in the province will have access to this rental affordability benefit.

The program aims at supporting approximately 6,700 households in New Brunswick over the next seven years. This represents an investment of more than $98.3 million, equally shared between the provincial and federal governments.

More information and application process are available online.

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• They live and work in New Brunswick.
• They must be a parent with primary custody of a child or children under 19 or of one or more dependents with a disability, 19 or older.
• They rent where they live.
• They do not receive a housing subsidy from the Department of Social Development.
• They are working and earn a minimum of $12,500 per year and a maximum of $50,000 before tax household employment income. Note: This is the combined before-tax employment income of all adults over 19 living in the home.
• Their income is reported to Canada Revenue Agency
• They are the only person in the household applying for and receiving this benefit.

Any inquiries regarding the application process can be emailed to infochb-acl@gnb.ca or call 211.

“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The Canada – New Brunswick Housing Benefit is designed to give over 6,700 households in need a boost, while ensuring that no one has to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. This program will make a big impact on the lives of hard-working families in New Brunswick, and it shows that the National Housing Strategy is at work.”

“Having safe and affordable housing is a fundamental right and an essential part of building a brighter, more equitable future for Frederictonians and all New Brunswickers. Our government is doing its part to ensure that folks have food on the table and a roof over their heads. We will continue to do all that we can to ensure that as we build back, no one is left behind.”

“We are pleased to collaborate with our federal counterparts to allow more New Brunswick families have access to much needed support. This will ensure that the many hard-working New Brunswickers can have a higher quality of life and allow for more families to keep more money in their pockets.”

Quick facts:

• The $98.3 million CA – NB HB 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.
• We are working with provinces and territories to create 13 Canada Housing Benefit initiatives, one for each jurisdiction. These initiatives are being co-developed based on a series of federal themes, and will be designed to address the unique affordability challenges of each province and territory. Provinces and territories will deliver the Canada Housing Benefit in their jurisdictions.
• Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72 billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home — this includes more than $13 billion proposed through the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.
• The NHS re-establishes the federal government’s leadership role in affordable housing through a long-term vision for housing. It sets out clear goals and ambitious targets, significant new investments and a focus on partnerships in order to achieve better housing outcomes for Canadians.

Associated 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. 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.

Information on this news release:

Daniele Medlej
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
Daniele.Medlej@infc.gc.ca

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

Rebecca Howland
Communications
Department of Social Development
rebecca.howland@gnb.ca