The Government of Canada supports rapid housing construction in Listuguj

Today, the Government of Canada and the Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government announced an agreement to accelerate the delivery of 42 housing units over the next three years. This project will help spur the construction of 200 homes over the next decade. Under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), local governments must submit action plans to access funds to ensure the rapid rollout of housing initiatives.

HAF requires action plans from local governments, unlocking funding to ensure the timely implementation of housing initiatives, with subsequent payments upon delivering results. Local governments are encouraged to think big and be bold in their approaches, which could include accelerating project timelines, allowing increased housing density, and encouraging affordable housing units.

The Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government’s Action Plan commits to six local initiatives, such as the regulation of Accessory Dwelling Units, the Homeownership Policy, Climate Change Adaptation strategies, Housing Literacy for vulnerable populations, and the promotion of Net Zero Ready construction, all aimed at fostering sustainable development and community well-being.

In addition, total investments of more than $14 million are allocated to four housing projects, to build and repairs 68 units across the community. The Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government is also contributing over $1,1 million towards those projects.

The funding announced today includes:

• $410,000 in contributions under the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF), which will help repair 28 housing units in 2 housing projects.
• A contribution of $2,610,103 under the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), which helped to create 16 housing units across the community.
• The Waqatasg Seniors Home project, located on Isaac Street, received a contribution of $3,177,534 and a low-interest loan of $7,953,229 under the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) to build 24 units to provide comprehensive services to seniors with minimal support requirements, including housing, healthcare, meals, and laundry services, ensuring a high quality of life and independence for residents.

The Government of Canada is making life more affordable for Canadians—and housing is where that happens. We’re continuing to work with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, housing providers and our Indigenous partners. Our goal is to keep on building more homes, faster, for the people of Canada.

Quotes:

“Our government is committed to removing barriers and red tape to enable housing development, and partnerships with Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government will do just that.”

“Building more homes for people in Listuguj, faster. That’s how your federal government is solving the housing crisis. Working with Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government, we are going to make sure families have a safe, affordable place to live.”

“Housing in First Nations communities is and has been an issue for a long time. This support will help us move forward to remedy this issue for Listuguj.”

Quick facts:

• The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a $4.4 billion Government of Canada initiative launched in March 2023 that will run until 2027 – 2028. The first round of funding totalled $4 billion, and the 2024 budget added $400 million to the program’s budget.
• The HAF is part of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) and Canada’s Housing Plan, the most ambitious federal government housing plan in more than 40 years. Progress on programs and initiatives is updated quarterly at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects developed so far.
  • As of September 2024, the federal government had committed nearly $57.57 billion to support the construction of more than 156,000 housing units and the repair of an additional 297,000. The measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous people, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.
• The HAF will reduce red tape and accelerate construction of at least 112,000 housing units by 2028. According to municipal and regional governments, it will lead to the creation of more than 750,000 housing units for people living in Canadian villages, towns, cities and Indigenous communities over the next decade.
• The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) offers funding to partnering organizations in the form of low-interest loans, forgivable loans or contributions. These funds are used to build affordable housing and renovate and repair existing affordable and community housing. The AHF is a $14.6billion National Housing Strategy program that prioritizes housing projects for those who need it most: women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults.
  • As of September 2024, the federal government had committed $10.34 billion to support the construction of more than 40,000 housing units and the repair of an additional 166,000 through the AHF.
  • Improvements to the AHF announced in Budget 2024 include extending the program from 2025 – 2026 to 2028 – 2029. The existing Construction stream is now subdivided into two sub-streams: a rapid housing sub-stream to create shelters, transitional housing and supportive housing for those in greatest need, and a community housing sub-stream to support affordable and mixed-market housing projects (with both affordable and market-rent units). For the Repair and Renewal stream, minimum accessibility and energy efficiency requirements have been replaced by an approach that instead prioritizes projects that deliver results in these areas.
• The Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) is delivered through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under the NHS. It provides funding to facilitate the rapid construction of new housing and the acquisition of existing buildings for the purpose of rehabilitation or conversion to permanent affordable housing units. With its third phase, launched in 2022, the Rapid Housing Initiative once again exceeded targets. It is expected that with this phase over 5,200 new homes will be created, of which almost half will be for women and one third will be for Indigenous Peoples. The total number of units created with the support of Rapid Housing Initiative is expected to be over 16,000 units. The program is now closed.
  • The RHI takes a human rights-based approach to housing, serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness and other vulnerable people, including women and children fleeing domestic violence, seniors, young adults, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people experiencing mental health and addiction issues, Veterans, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, racialized groups, and recent immigrants or refugees.

Associated links:

• Housing Accelerator Fund
• Housing Accelerator Fund — Building more homes, faster
• Building more homes, faster
• Making housing more affordable for Canadians
• National Housing Strategy

Information on this news release:

Sofia Ouslis
Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
sofia.ouslis@infc.gc.ca

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

Appendix: Projects receiving federal funding through the Affordable Housing Fund and the Rapid Housing Initiative