Progress on the National Housing Strategy

Key Highlights:

• Over $10.4 billion in commitments made to support:
  • The creation and repair of over 113,100 units (over 52,300 new units and repair of over 60,800 units);
  • Over 22,700 units are currently under construction or built;
  • The continuing availability of over 25,500 community housing units where operating agreements expired.

Create New/Modernize Existing Housing Supply

Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Affordable Housing Innovation Fund	September 30, 2016	$200 million over 5 years	Create 4,000 affordable housing units using innovative business approaches and building techniques.	CMHC has committed over $185.8 million to support the creation of over 18,200 units, of which close to 15,000 will be affordable.   Of the 18,200 units, over 3,500 are conditional commitments, over 10,500 are financial commitments, and over 4,200 units are currently under construction or built.
Rental Construction Financing	April 20, 2017	$13.75 billion over 11 years	Construction of more than 42,500 new rental housing units across Canada.	CMHC has committed over $ 7.5 billion to support the creation of over 22,300 units, of which close to 13,800 will be affordable. Of the 22,300 units, over 12,600 are conditional commitments, over 1,000 are financial commitments, and over 8,700 units are currently under construction or built.
National Housing Co-Investment Fund	May 2, 2018	$13.2 billion over 10 years	Create 60,000 new housing units and repair or renew 240,000 housing units	CMHC has committed over $2.7 billion to support the creation of close to 11,400 new units and the repair/renewal of over 60,800 units.    Of the $2.7 billion, over $1.7 billion are loans and over $1 billion are contributions   New Units Of the 11,400 new units, over 9,100 units are conditional commitments, over 200 units are financial commitments, and over 2,100 units are currently under construction or built.   These units include over 2,100 senior units, over 600 shelter units, over 600 units for people with developmental disabilities, and over 160 units to support Indigenous people.   Repair/Renewal Units Of the 60,800 repair units, over 1,500 units are conditional commitments, over 51,600 units are financial commitments, and over 7,700 units are currently being repaired/renewed.   These units include over 200 shelter units, over 30,000 senior units, and over 9,700 units to support indigenous people.

As of June 30, 2020

National Housing Co-Investment Fund

Historic Investment: On April 5, 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new $1.3 billion partnership with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) – the largest federal housing investment with a municipal partner in Canadian history – to support the renovation of more than 58,000 housing units with completion expected for 2030-31.

Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Federal Lands Initiative	February 11, 2019	$200 million over 10 years	Create 4,000 affordable housing units by transferring surplus federal lands and buildings to housing providers at low or no cost.	CMHC has committed $9.6 million to support the creation of over 400 units through 6 properties. Of the 400 units, over 100 units are conditional commitments through 3 properties, and close to 300 are financial commitments through 3 properties.

As of June 30, 2020

How progress is tracked

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation tracks and reports on progress at four different phases:

1. Conditional Commitment: funding is earmarked to support the building or repair of units of whose formal project agreement is still subject to final approvals and conditions (letter of intent is signed);
2. Financial Commitment: formal loan agreement is duly executed and a binding agreement is reached to provide credit under pre-specified terms and conditions  (letter of agreement is signed);
3. Construction/Repair Underway: in the process of being built or repaired; and
4. Completed: built or repaired.

Funding to Support the Community (Social) Housing Sector
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Federal Community Housing Initiative (FCHI)	April 1, 2018 (Phase I) September 1, 2020 (Phase II)	$500 million over 10 years	Support of 55,000 community housing units, through funding 11,000 low income units, with operating agreements under federal administration through CMHC.	Phase I subsidy extensions currently supporting over 25,500 households, representing a total investment of $38.3 million. The launch date of Phase II has been delayed until September 1, 2020. Current levels of financial assistance will be maintained until the end of August 2020.
Community Housing Transformation Centre (CHTC) and Sector Transformation Fund (STF)	April 11, 2019   Fall 2019	$68.6 million over 9 years	Increase knowledge and technical capacity of the community housing sector to support effective and sustainable business models while continuing to provide affordable housing. Funding and tools for housing providers to support efficient and effective business models.	CHTC is set up as a non-profit organization, with an Executive Director and Board of Directors established in June 2019. $7.8 million has been provided to the Centre to setup operations, cover operating costs and cover program eligible costs. 29 STF applications have been approved for funding.
Community Based Tenant Initiative (CBTI)	Fall 2019	$10 million* over 5 years *Funding part of the $68.6 million for the Community Housing Transformation Centre.	Funding for local organizations that assist people in housing need to enable participation in housing decision-making.	16 CBTI applications have been approved for funding.

As of June 30, 2020

Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Reaching Home	April 1, 2019	$2.1 billion over 9 years   Additional $15 million was reallocated from within Employment and Social Development Canada to support communities and regions to respond to the COVID-19 crisis A further $157.5 million investment was announced as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan	Reduce chronic homelessness by half by March 2028	Redesigned federal homelessness program launched on April 1, 2019. Over 1,200 projects were launched in the first six months of Reaching Home $215 million annual funding is expected to be delivered by 2021-22.

*Program led by Employment and Social Development Canada.

As of March 31, 2020

Improving Homeownership Options for Canadians
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Shared Equity Mortgage Provider (SEMP) Fund	July 31, 2019	$100 million over five years	Assist 1,500 first-time homebuyers and assist in the creation of 1,500 projected new homeownership units	15 providers have submitted applications. These are at various stages of underwriting, with no approvals to date.
First-Time Home Buyer Incentive	September 2, 2019	$1.25 billion over three years	Assist up to 100,000 first-time homebuyers	CMHC has approved 7,508 applications, representing $137.5 million in Shared Equity Mortgages.

First-Time Home Buyer Incentive by Region
Region	British Columbia	Alberta	Prairies & North	Ontario	Quebec	Atlantic
Approved Applications (#)	263	1,971	810	636	3,267	561
Approved Shared Equity Mortgages ($)	$4.8M	$47.4M	$13.4M	$12.1M	$52.1M	$7.8M

As of June 30, 2020

Human Rights-Based Approach to Housing
Initiative	Launch Date	Description	Progress to Date
National Housing Strategy Act	N/A	The Act recognizes the right to adequate housing as a fundamental human right affirmed in international law. The Act will require the federal government to maintain a National Housing Strategy to further housing policy, taking into account key principles of a human rights-based approach to housing, and report to Parliament every three years on the progress towards the Strategy’s goals and outcomes.	Tabled in Parliament on April 8, 2019, as part of Bill C-97, and received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019.
National Housing Council	TBC	The Council, with diverse representation, will further housing policy by providing advice to the responsible Minister on, among other things, the effectiveness of the National Housing Strategy with the aim of improving housing outcomes. An eight-week call for application process ran from August 20 to October 14, 2019.	The Minister will appoint Council members.
Federal Housing Advocate	2020	The Federal Housing Advocate is an appointment by the Governor in Council and supported by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The Advocate will monitor the implementation of the housing policy and assess it's impact on persons who are members of vulnerable groups and persons with lived experience of housing need or homelessness. Applying a human-rights lens, the Advocate will also monitor progress in meeting the goals, timelines and outcomes of the National Housing Strategy and consider systemic housing issues. The Advocate will provide advice and report to the Minister on their findings and recommended measures (over which Parliament has jurisdiction) to further the housing policy. The Advocate may also ask the National Housing Council to establish a review panel to conduct hearings on systemic housing issues.	The Governor in Council is expected to appoint the Federal Housing Advocate in 2020.

Data, Innovation & Research

$241 million will be invested in new data collection tools, demonstration projects and solution labs, and efforts to spur more housing-related research, within and external to government, to help diversify information sources and perspectives.

A total of nine new Data, Innovation and Research initiatives were launched in 2018 to better understand housing needs, conditions and markets, and to fill data gaps and inform decision-makers.

In the spring of 2019, a second call for applications was launched for several programs, including the Solutions Labs, the NHS Demonstrations Initiative, the NHS Research and Planning Fund, the CMHC Housing Research Scholarship Program and the Housing Research Awards.

Innovation
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding Available	Target	Progress to Date
Solutions Labs	May 21, 2018	$24.5 million over 10 years	Support experts and housing stakeholders to incubate and scale potential solutions to housing affordability pressures.	Over $7.5 million to support 38 solutions labs fostering innovation in the housing sector.
Demonstrations Initiative	May 21, 2018	$12.5 million over 10 years	Support demonstrations of forward-looking technologies, practices and strategies that explore the future of housing in Canada.	Over $2.5 million to support 17 demonstration projects.

 

Capacity Building
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding Available	Target	Progress to Date
Housing Research Scholarship Program	Spring 2018	$3.65 million over 10 years	Funding for Postdoctoral Fellowships to help build housing expertise in Canada.	$720,000 in scholarships awarded for eight postdoctoral fellowships to conduct research in support of the NHS.
CMHC Housing Research Award Program	April 2018	$400,000 over 10 years	Promote and extend world-class housing research.	Awards ceremonies held on November 21, 2018, and December 5, 2019. 6 awards and 4 travel bursaries for a total of $90,000.
Collaborative Housing Research Network	July 12, 2018	$13.9 million over 10 years	Canada-wide collaboration of academics and community partners in research to inform housing policy decision-making.	$640,000 awarded to 8 Partnership Development Grants ($80,000 each) to help lay the foundation of the Network. Research Network created by supporting 6 multi-year team grants. Investment for first 5 years is over $7,900,000.

As of June 30, 2020

Thought Leadership
Initiative	Launch Date	Funding Available	Target	Progress to Date
NHS Research and Planning Fund	June 18, 2018	$6.6 million over 10 years	Support non-profit housing stakeholders seeking to undertake housing related research.	Over $2.3 million has been awarded to 19 research proposals.
NHS Housing Needs Data	Fall 2018	N/A	Enhance data collection and analysis, development of new housing surveys and comprehensive database with social, economic and financial information to produce housing statistics.	2 new surveys created to better understand the social and affordable housing stock (by structure and tenant assessments). First results from the Canadian Housing Survey (Statistics Canada) First results from the Social and Affordable Housing Survey – Rental Structures (CMHC)

As of June 30, 2020

Enabling/Connecting
Initiative	Launch Date	Description	Progress to Date
Expert Community on Housing (ECOH)	November 21, 2018	Web-based virtual community of practice for housing experts to address challenges and problems in housing	Currently hosting over 450 members with ongoing intake of new members.
National Housing Conference	2018	Annual conference to bring together experts.	The second National Housing Conference, which was to take place on May 12-13, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of June 30, 2020

Commitments and Expenditures

For calendar year 2020, capital commitments of $85.9M for both new and repaired housing under NHS were made.

For fiscal year 2019-20, an expenditure of $129.9M was made for both new and repaired housing units under NHS. For fiscal year 2020-21, an expenditure of $36.7M has been made so far for both new and repaired housing units under NHS.

As of June 30, 2020

On April 9, 2018, a new Federal/Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Housing Partnership Framework was endorsed by all F/P/T Ministers responsible for housing (except by Quebec), setting the foundation for NHS initiatives cost-matched and delivered by provinces and territories.

The Government has announced new bilateral agreements with 12 provincial and territorial partners, with total signed agreements representing over $10 billion in joint funding over 10 years to protect, renew and expand community housing, and support provincial priorities related to housing repair, construction and affordability.

• Ontario: joint investment of $5.8 billion
• British Columbia: joint investment of $991.1 million
• New Brunswick: joint investment of $299.2 million
• Northwest Territories: joint investment of $139.4 million
• Prince Edward Island: joint investment of $14.93 million
• Yukon: joint investment of $59.92 million
• Alberta: joint investment of $678.1 million
• Newfoundland and Labrador: joint investment of $270.6 million
• Saskatchewan: joint investment of $449.9 million
• Manitoba: joint investment of almost $450.8 million 
• Nunavut: joint investment of $339.2 million 
• Nova Scotia: joint investment of $394.2 million 

Action Plans have been publicly released by the following provinces and territories:

• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

How progress is tracked

Information is available to CMHC once claims related to funding commitments from provinces and territories have been received and processed.

Provinces and territories will develop and publicly release action plans every 3 years to put their planned actions into context and to establish targets. Provinces and territories will also provide a progress report to CMHC every six months that will include progress towards realizing the targets and outcomes set out in the NHS.

Provincial/Territorial NHS Initiatives

Initiative	Launch Date	Funding	Target	Progress to Date
Funding for Northern Territories	April 1, 2018	$300 million over 10 years (no cost-matching)	Help offset the higher need and cost of housing in the North.	The Territories committed $60 million to support 760 units, of which over 90 are new units and over 100 are repair units.
Canada Community Housing Initiative	2019	$8.6 billion over 9 years (including $4.3B of PT cost-matching)	Protect, regenerate and expand community housing administered by provinces and territories, and supported by former federal programs.	Provinces and territories have committed $60 million to support over 39,000 units.*
PT Priority Funding	2019	$2.2 billion over 9 years (including $1.1B in PT cost-matching)	Address distinct provincial and territorial housing needs and priorities, including affordability, repair and construction.	Targets and outcomes have been mutually agreed with 11 provinces and territories. Provinces and territories have committed over $190 million to support 39,000 units. *
Canada Housing Benefit	April 2020	$4 billion over 8 years (including $2B in PT cost-matching)	Financial housing benefit provided directly to families and individuals in housing need.	Addenda signed with three provinces, including Ontario.** Program under co-development by federal and provincial/territorial governments.

*Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019/20 deadline for NHS bilateral agreement claims has been extended to Fall 2020 and the release of the Action Plans has been delayed in some jurisdictions, therefore the committed dollars and units are currently understated.

**Joint CHB announcements with the other two jurisdictions have been delayed to focus on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Details will become available as programs are announced.

As of June 30, 2020

Improving Housing Conditions (First Nation, Inuit & Métis Housing)

With funding from Budget 2016, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Indigenous Services Canada, supported projects to build or renovate/retrofit over 18,000 homes in First Nations communities.

CMHC continues to partner with First Nation communities to support their housing goals. We offer tools, training, programs and knowledge to help First Nations build, maintain and care for homes in their communities and develop new housing-related skills.

The Government provides approximately $326 million annually to First Nation communities in support of housing. Funding is delivered through Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).

CMHC Housing Programs*: $183 million to support the construction of some 750 new homes built, renovation of over 450 houses and ongoing subsidy to 22,600 households living in First Nation communities.

*From April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020

ISC Housing Programs: an annual average of $143 million to support a range of housing needs, including construction, renovation, maintenance, insurance, capacity building, debt servicing and the planning and management of First Nations’ communities housing portfolios.

 

National Housing Strategy Investments

 

Meeting the housing needs of Indigenous communities is a priority under Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Projects serving the needs of Indigenous peoples and families are prioritized for funding under all NHS programs. There is also targeted funding available to support the needs of Indigenous and Northern communities outlined below.

Investments totalling $638 million under the NHS will ensure that Indigenous peoples living in urban, rural and Northern communities have better housing outcomes now, and for generations to come.

Through Reaching Home, Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, a total of $413 million is dedicated to address Indigenous homelessness in urban centres.

An investment of $225 million will ensure community housing providers can protect affordability for Indigenous families and undertake necessary repairs to their projects. This will help stabilize the existing community housing stock and ensure no units are lost while longer-term strategies are developed.

Of this, $200 million is delivered through new and more progressive bilateral agreements with provinces and territories and $25 million is available through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.

Indigenous peoples and Northerners will benefit from an additional $300 million over 10 years, delivered by the territories, to support new construction and repairs to existing affordable housing in Northern communities.

The North will also benefit from additional funding from provincial and territorial NHS initiatives, including the Canada Community Housing Initiatives, PT Priority Funding and the Canada Housing Benefit.

 

Indigenous Housing Strategies

 

The co-development of distinctions-based Indigenous housing strategies is a priority for the Government. Indigenous leaders have told the Government that the best approach is one that respects the distinct housing needs of each group and community.

Through investments made in Budget 2017 and Budget 2018, the Government is providing $1.5 billion to support a First Nations-led housing Strategy, an Inuit-led housing plan, and the Métis Nation’s housing strategy including:

• $600 million over 3 years to support new construction and repairs to First Nation housing units.
• $400 million over 10 years to support new construction and repairs to housing units in Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Inuvialuit. This is in addition to the $240 million over 10 years announced in Budget 2017 to support housing in Nunavut.
• $500 million over 10 years to support the housing needs of Métis Nation communities.

 

First Nations Market Housing Fund

 

The $300 million First Nations Market Housing Fund (FNMHF) promotes and supports the expansion of market-based housing in First Nations communities. The Fund is overseen by nine Trustees, including a chairperson. The trustees are responsible for overseeing the FNMHF’s governance and practices, and guiding its direction to achieve its objectives.

For more information, visit the FNMHF web page.

Community housing is owned and operated by non-profit, co-operative or local government housing providers.

Federal investments in existing community (social) housing — built mostly between 1946 and 1993 — continue to be substantial. From April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019, CMHC provided over $1.4 billion in expenditures for existing community housing programs.

Subsidies through long-term operating agreements help ensure that lower income families living in these units do not pay a disproportionate amount of their income on housing. As legacy operating agreements are ending, housing providers can turn to the Federal Community Housing Initiative or Canada Community Housing Initiative to help preserve this stock.

*Given the Government’s renewed commitment to community housing, a new approach to reporting on community housing units is under development.

CMHC’s Seed Funding program supports affordable housing through interest-free loans and/or non-repayable contributions to help with costs related to pre-development activities.

CMHC’s Preservation Funding for Community Housing helps existing community housing providers remain viable and prepare for future funding opportunities by providing financial assistance to support the cost of completing preservation activities. 

From April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020, CMHC has committed approximately $7.3 million in contributions and $ 1.8 million in loans under these programs.

* Both programs can be combined with other National Housing Strategy funding initiatives.

Through the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH), the federal government, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), invested more than $1.9 billion over eight years, from April 2011 to March 2019.

Under the IAH, Provinces and Territories cost-matched the federal investment and were responsible for program design and delivery in order to meet local housing needs and priorities.

From April 2011 to March 2019, over 420,000 households were no longer in housing need as a result of this funding.*

*The number of households is equal to the number of units identified in claims from provinces and territories to CMHC.

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) — replaced by Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy on April 1, 2019 — was a unique community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness. The program provided direct funding and support to Designated Communities (urban centres) as well as Indigenous and rural and remote communities in all provinces and territories.

Through the HPS, the federal government invested $762 million over five years to prevent and reduce homelessness. Between April 2014 and March 2019, 74,111 Canadians^* who were homeless or at serious risk of homelessness were placed in more stable housing.

*Led by Employment and Social Development Canada. 

Budget 2016 increased federal investments in affordable housing by $2.3 billion over two years to give Canadians greater access to more affordable housing while the Government worked to develop the National Housing Strategy.

Expanding Affordable Housing: Provincial and Territorial Delivery

Budget 2016 allocated close to $1.4 billion to provinces and territories to identify communities where the need for affordable housing is greatest.

Federal Investments/Initiatives	Results
Doubling the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) $504.4 million in federal funding to double federal funding under the provincial/territorial cost-matched portion of the IAH (delivered by provinces and territories).   Cost-matched	174,170 households assisted.
Increasing Affordable Housing for Seniors (IAH) $200.7 million in federal funding to increase affordable housing for seniors and improve their housing conditions (provided through the IAH, delivered by provinces and territories).   *No cost-matching	6,247 seniors households assisted.
Increasing Affordable Housing for Victims of Family Violence (IAH) $89.9 million in federal funding for the construction and renovation of off-reserve shelter spaces for victims of family violence (provided through the IAH, delivered by provinces and territories).   *No cost-matching	5,868 households assisted.
Supporting Energy- and Water-Efficiency Retrofits to Existing Community Housing (IAH) $490.4 million in federal for retrofits and renovations to existing community housing administered by the provinces and territories to address the increasing demand for repairs, improve efficiency and reduce energy use (provided through the IAH, delivered by provinces and territories).   *No cost-matching	95,095 units retrofitted or renovated.
Supporting Northern Housing (IAH) $97.7 million in federal funding to address urgent housing needs in Northern communities (provided through the IAH, delivered by territories).   *No cost-matching	687 households assisted.

Expanding Affordable Housing: Federal Programs

Budget 2016 also committed $870 million in new funding over two years to support federally administered housing and homelessness programs, including programs for First Nation people living on- and off-reserve.

Federal Investments/Initiatives	Results
Renovation and Retrofit of Existing Federally Administered Community Housing $83.5 million for retrofits and renovations to existing federally administered community housing to address the increasing demand for repairs, improve efficiency and reduce energy use.	8,457 units renovated or retrofitted.
Rent Subsidies for Federally Administered Community Housing Providers $30 million to renew subsidies for eligible federally administered community housing projects that have operating agreements expiring by the end of March 2018.	10,319 housing subsidies renewed up to March 2018.
Tackling Homelessness $111.8 million to provide direct support and funding to communities across Canada, through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy, for projects to prevent and reduce homelessness. This funding was in addition to existing funding of nearly $600 million over five years (2014-19).	28,868 who were homeless or at serious risk of homelessness have more stable housing.
Improving Housing in First Nations Communities $554.3 million to address urgent housing needs   $416.6 million to address immediate housing needs. $127.7 million to support the renovation and retrofit of existing housing. $10 million for skills and capacity development for the design, construction, inspection and overall management of housing in First Nations communities.	5,717 units renovated or retrofitted 464  First Nations communities assisted
Supporting Victims of Family Violence in First Nations Communities $10.4 million to support the construction of five new shelters for victims of family violence and the renovation of existing shelters in First Nations communities.	The construction of all five shelters has been completed.
Supporting Inuit Housing $80 million to address housing needs in three Inuit regions.	189 new units built
Housing Internship Initiative for First Nations and Inuit Youth (HIIFNIY) $5 million to support internships for Indigenous youth under HIIFNIY, which provides work experience and on-the-job training in the housing sector. Funding was provided in Budget 2016 under the renewed Youth Employment Strategy.	537 youth internships provided
Assisting Homeowners Affected by Pyrrhotite $30 million to help homeowners deal with costly structural problems in their homes as a result of the presence of the mineral pyrrhotite in their foundations.	The Province of Quebec claimed $30 million to benefit 445 homeowners.
Prepayment Flexibilities for Co-operative and Non-Profit Housing $150 million In Budget 2015, the Government announced $150 million over four years, starting in 2016/2017, to allow co-operative housing and non-profit community housing providers to prepay long-term, non-renewable mortgages held with CMHC, without any penalty.	442 long-term, non-renewable mortgages paid out representing $106.1 million in waived penalties.