Affordable Housing Grant Program – Canada

Deadline: 08-Feb-23

The City of Saint John is seeking applications for its Affordable Housing Grant Program.

The City of Saint John Affordable Housing Grant Program will help increase the number of affordable units in the community by incentivizing non-profit and private sector housing developers. As part of the City’s Affordable Housing Action Plan, the program has been designed to make use of a one-time $800,000 funding allocation to the municipality.

Goals

Success of the AHGP will be determined by the number of affordable housing units to which the Program contributes and depth of their affordability. The Affordable Housing Grant Program is designed to achieve the following outcomes:

• Address the following gaps in the local housing continuum identified in the Affordable Housing Action Plan: Supportive/special needs housing, housing to the most vulnerable households, and affordable rental housing;
• Fulfilling the Affordable Housing Action Plan’s principle of promoting public investment for public benefit;
• Effective and meaningful distribution of funds to shovel-ready projects;
• Supporting non-profit housing projects in providing long-term affordable housing options;
• Incentivizing the use of the Province’s Affordable Rental Housing Program; and,
• Incentivizing deeply affordable housing units

Funding Information

• The Affordable Housing Grant consists of two tiers of grants based on non- and for- profit developers. Each tier provides a baseline grant and opportunity to access additional funding for innovative solutions to identified market gaps or issues.
• Tier 1: Non-Profit Development
  • A Tier 1 grant base amount of $10,000 per affordable unit to a maximum of $200,000 per project is available to any non-profit developer that meets the program’s eligibility requirements.
  • An additional $50,000 is available in bonus funds for market gap solutions. Market gap solutions are determined by the City’s Grant Committee.
• Tier 2: For-Profit Development
  • A Tier 2 grant base amount of $8,000 per affordable unit to a maximum of $160,000 per project is available to any for-profit developer that meets the program’s eligibility requirements.
  • An additional $50,000 is available in bonus funds for market gap solutions. Market gap solutions are determined by the City’s Grant Committee.

Eligibility Criteria

• Project Readiness
  • Projects are prioritized by their “shovel readiness.” Prior to application, a project must meet the following:
    • For a project to be considered for the Affordable Housing Grant, all planning approvals must be in place. Planning approvals include confirmation that the project is in compliance with the Municipal Plan and Zoning By-law.
    • The project must be aligned with the overall vision and objectives of the City’s Affordable Housing Action Plan.
    • Projects are encouraged to attach their building permit application to the grant application. The project will be considered ineligible should an applicant not obtain a building permit for the project within 12 months of applying for a grant, provided the applicant has participated in a pre-application meeting.
    • Projects which have undertaken site preparation work or obtained a building permit but have not advanced past the pouring of foundations are eligible to apply for an Affordable Housing Grant.
    • Confirmation of project readiness will be determined by City Staff at the time of the grant application.
• Project Eligibility
  • Each project shall meet the following criteria prior to entering into a grant agreement for an Affordable Housing Grant with the City of Saint John:
    • The project shall be located within the Primary Development Area as defined by the City’s Municipal Plan;
    • The project shall be located within an Intensification Area as defined by the City’s Municipal Plan or within a 1 kilometre radius of a transit stop;
    • The project shall be appropriate to the area as determined by compliance with the Municipal Plan and Zoning By-law;
    • Proof of funding sources including confirmation of Federal or Provincial funding and/or confirmation of funds from a Canadian Financial Institution shall be provided. The project must have received a letter of support through the Province’s Affordable Rental Housing Program or a letter of intent through a CMHC Funding Program.
    • The Grant Committee reserves the right to determine whether the application is complete or incomplete.

For more information, visit City of Saint John.