Provide support to maintain rent-geared-to-income subsidies in existing social housing.

What success looks like

Affordable housing remains accessible to Canadians who need it during the transition through the expiry of current operating agreements.

Government's narrative on progress

Community housing has been the backbone of Canada’s response to housing challenges for more than 60 years and provides an affordable place to live for thousands of Canadians. Federal investments have supported the creation of community housing for low- and modest-income families and individuals. As long-term social housing operating agreements expire, the government will renew its investments to protect low-income households and stabilize the operations of housing providers. The government is deeply committed to ensuring that Canada’s existing community housing stock remains affordable and in good repair well into the future. About 20 per cent of this stock is federally-administered and 80 per cent is administered by the provinces and territories. Budget 2016 announced $30 million over two years, starting in 2016-17, to help federally-administered community housing providers preserve affordability for low income households as operating agreements end. Support was provided on a transitional basis until March 2018, and has been extended until March 2020 as part of the new Federal Community Housing Initiative – Phase 1. As of December 31, 2018, affordability support for 15,000 community housing units, which would have otherwise expired, has been maintained. The Federal Community Housing Initiative is a $500 million 10-year initiative under the National Housing Strategy to protect tenants living in federally-administered community housing and maintain the 55,000 units. Phase 2 will establish a new rental assistance program to protect affordability for low-income tenants in federal community housing, starting in April 2020. As part of the National Housing Strategy, the government will also support provinces and territories as they protect and build a sustainable community-based housing sector through the new Canada Community Housing Initiative with $4.3 billion in federal funding. This initiative is expected to maintain affordability for approximately 330,000 households in community housing nationally and expand community housing by 50,000 units. This federal funding will flow to provinces and territories through bilateral agreements. As at March 19, 2019, seven provinces and territories had signed bilateral agreements under the new multilateral Housing Partnership Framework that was endorsed in April 2018 (except by Quebec).

Note: this is the government's own description, not an independent assessment.