APCHQ — Get financing through the Canada Greener Affordable Housing program: Retrofit Funding for multi-unit residential buildings

• The applicant must have an affordable housing purpose and a proven mandate to provide housing to lower-income households or populations in need.
• The applicant must be one of the following: a community housing provider (non-profit housing organization, public housing agency, rental co-operative), an Indigenous government or organization (including First Nations, Tribal Councils, Indigenous housing providers), or a provincial, territorial or municipal government.
• The project property must be primarily residential, include at least 5 units or beds, and generally be at least 20 years old (with potential flexibility on age for Indigenous, Northern or remote organizations).
• The property must be an eligible housing type, such as mixed-income rental or mixed-use with affordable rental housing, community housing, affordable rental housing, Indigenous community housing and cultural spaces, shelters, transitional or supportive housing, or single-room occupancy, with any non-residential space not exceeding 30% of the total gross floor area.
• The retrofit project must target deep energy performance improvements, specifically a 70% reduction in energy consumption and an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to pre-retrofit performance, and the applicant must meet CMHC’s financial viability and security requirements (including minimum debt coverage ratios and acceptable mortgage security).

Who is eligible?

• Community housing providers (non-profit housing organizations, public housing agencies, rental co-operatives)
• Indigenous governments and organizations (including First Nations, Tribal Councils, Indigenous housing providers)
• Provincial, territorial and municipal governments
• Organizations that own or operate mixed-income rental or mixed-use properties with affordable rental housing
• Organizations that own or operate shelters, transitional and supportive housing, single-room occupancy, affordable rental and Indigenous community housing

Who is not eligible

• Private market housing organizations, including private-sector landlords and for-profit residential real estate companies.
• Projects where the non-residential portion of the building exceeds 30% of the total gross floor area.

Eligible expenses

• Costs of major energy-efficient renovations of residential buildings aimed at significantly reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (materials, work and interventions directly related to these improvements).
• Expenses related to the activities necessary to achieve the climate objectives of the renovation project (for example, studies and expert reports demonstrating the targeted energy performance).

Eligible geographic areas

• Organizations located anywhere in Canada (federal program administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation).
• On-reserve Indigenous communities within Canada are explicitly included.

• Achievement of environmental outcomes, particularly the depth of reductions in energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Project readiness, with a preference for projects able to start construction within 6 months of selection.
• Number of housing units impacted by the retrofit project.
• Extent to which the project serves National Housing Strategy priority populations.

• Funding is delivered through a callout, application-based process, with set application windows.
• CMHC aims to complete eligibility review and financial analysis within about 60 days after the application window closes, assuming all documents are provided.
• Applications may be cancelled or CMHC’s funding commitment changed if advancing conditions are not met within required time frames.
• Energy modelling and program compliance may be subject to random or targeted quality assurance reviews, including requests for utility bills.