APCHQ — Affordable Housing Fund: New Construction - Community Housing Sub-Stream

• The applicant must be a community housing provider (public or private non-profit housing organization or rental co‑operative), a municipality, a provincial or territorial government, an Indigenous government or organization, or a private‑sector entity.
• The project must be primarily residential, with a minimum of 5 units or beds.
• The project must create new affordable housing supply, such as community/affordable housing, urban Indigenous community housing, mixed-use market/affordable rental, new construction or conversion from non‑residential use, shelters, or transitional/supportive housing.
• The project must have documented support from at least one other level of government (municipal, provincial/territorial or Indigenous), which may be financial or in the form of a letter of endorsement.
• The project must meet CMHC’s minimum requirements for partnerships, financial viability, energy efficiency and accessibility as defined in the program documentation.

Who is eligible?

• Community housing providers (public or private non-profit housing organizations)
• Rental housing co-operatives
• Municipal governments
• Provincial and territorial governments
• Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations
• Private sector housing developers or companies

Eligible geographic areas

• Projects located anywhere in Canada, as this is a federal program administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
• Projects on First Nation lands in Canada, including those using Ministerial Loan Guarantees or other accepted forms of security.
• Projects in rural and Northern areas of Canada, which are specifically prioritized under the program.

• Level of affordability achieved by the project beyond the minimum program requirements.
• Degree of energy efficiency, including performance relative to 2020 model codes (e.g., achieving or exceeding Tier 2 of the 2020 National Energy Code or Tier 3 of the 2020 National Building Code).
• Level of accessibility, including alignment with or exceeding CSA B651:23 and B652:23 standards.
• Shovel readiness of the project, including ability to start construction quickly and completeness of required documentation.
• Social and community outcomes, including proximity to transit/childcare/community centres, strength of financial partnerships and collaboration, social inclusion, and benefits for National Housing Strategy priority groups and vulnerable populations.

• Applications must be supported by another level of government, which can be demonstrated through invested resources or a formal letter of endorsement.
• There is a transition period for updated energy efficiency and accessibility requirements; to use the previous standards, complete applications must be submitted by September 30, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Complete applications are targeted to receive a decision (decline or conditional approval) within 30 days, and applicants then have 90 days to submit underwriting documents.
• The program gives explicit priority to rural, Northern and Indigenous-led affordable housing projects.