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

• The applicant must be from the non-profit or community housing sector, a rental co-operative, or a provincial, territorial, Indigenous or municipal government (or one of their agencies).
• The project must consist of constructing low-cost rental housing or single-room occupancy units used primarily as shelters, transitional housing or supportive housing.
• The project must include a minimum of 5 residential units or beds and have residential use as its primary function.
• The project must meet the program’s minimum requirements for partnerships, financial viability, energy efficiency and accessibility, as defined in the official documentation.
• The applicant must be able to provide evidence that ongoing operations and maintenance costs for the units/project will be covered.

Who is eligible?

• Organizations in the non-profit housing sector
• Organizations in the community housing sector
• Rental housing cooperatives
• Provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipal governments
• Agencies of provincial, territorial, Indigenous and municipal governments

Who is not eligible

• Private builders and private real estate developers.

Eligible expenses

• Construction and development costs directly related to building shelters, transitional housing and supportive housing (e.g. materials, labour and associated construction services).

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations located anywhere in Canada, as this is a federal program delivered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
• Projects situated in rural areas across Canadian provinces and territories.
• Projects located in northern communities in Canada.
• Indigenous-led projects and projects on First Nation lands within Canada.

• Level of affordability offered by the housing units or beds.
• Energy efficiency performance, including alignment with updated codes and higher tiers of the 2020 model codes.
• Accessibility features and overall accessibility outcomes of the project.
• Shovel-readiness of the project and completeness of required documentation.
• Strength of financial and community partnerships, including proximity to transit, childcare and community centres, and support for National Housing Strategy priority and vulnerable groups (with additional priority for projects in communities supported under the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative and that are part of a Community Encampment Response Plan).

• The Rapid Housing Sub-Stream has a total envelope of $963 million over 5 years, aiming to create 2,400 new units or beds.
• Updated minimum accessibility and energy efficiency requirements took effect in November 2024, with a transition period for projects already in design.
• Projects located in communities supported under the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative (UHEI) and included in a Community Encampment Response Plan receive additional prioritization points.
• For projects on First Nation lands, CMHC now accepts four alternative forms of security in addition to a Ministerial Loan Guarantee (MLG).