Regional Municipality of Durham: At Home Incentive Program in Canada

Deadline: 21-Dec-22

The Regional Municipality of Durham is seeking applications for At Home Incentive Program (AHIP) to support the development of affordable housing in the Durham Region.

This program supports the Region’s commitment to initiate the development of 1,000 new affordable rental housing units by 2024. This commitment is outlined in At Home in Durham, the Durham Housing Plan 2014 to 2024 and the Master Housing Strategy. 

Funding is through a forgivable capital loan secured against the title. A portion of this loan will be forgiven, as long as the project complies with the Municipal Capital Housing Facilities and Contribution Agreement with the Region.

Objectives

The At Home Incentive Program assists private for-profit and non-profit affordable housing organizations to reduce the cost of developing housing and improve housing affordability for low-and moderate-income households. The Region will publicly announce invitations for eligible affordable housing proposals through an annual Call for Applications.

The key objective of the At Home Incentive Program is to support eligible affordable housing rental projects approved under the program with a minimum of 5 affordable housing units, including:

• New construction.
• Conversion of non-residential buildings to purpose-built rental housing.
• Addition of new affordable buildings/units to existing sites/ buildings.
• Community housing redevelopment that increases the supply of affordable housing units.

The Region will support the development of approved projects under the At Home Incentive Program through:

• Upfront capital funding for affordable rental housing development for identified priority groups.
• Prioritizing Regional planning approvals for projects that meet the intent of the Regional Official Plan.

Benefits

• Capital Funding
  • AHIP funding is provided as a forgivable capital loan secured against title, and successful applicants will be required to enter into a Municipal Capital Housing Facilities and Contribution Agreement with the Region to secure their obligations for the development and operation of the affordable housing project. A portion of the capital loan will be forgiven annually throughout the term of the Agreement as long as the applicant remains in good standing under the Agreement. AHIP funding will be advanced based on key construction milestones:
  • 50 per cent at the signing of the Municipal Capital Housing Facilities and Contribution Agreement and registration of security.
  • 40 per cent at confirmation of fully enclosed building.
  • 10 per cent at confirmation of occupancy.
• Stacking
  • At Home Incentive Program funding is stackable with other programs offered by the Region and other levels of government, including but not limited to:
    • The Regional Revitalization Plan (RRP) which provides capital grants for private redevelopment projects, sponsored by area municipalities within their respective Community Improvement Plan (CIP) areas.
    • The Housing Services Development Charges Reserve Fund for eligible projects.
    • Redevelopment Development Charge credits, as applicable for redevelopment.
    • Incentive programs or funding opportunities offered by federal or provincial levels of government, (e.g. Co-Investment Fund, Rental Construction Financing Initiative, Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative).
• Priority Planning services
  • The Planning Division will streamline the Regional approval process of planning applications for affordable rental housing projects approved under the At Home Incentive Program.
  • At Home Incentive Program recipients are required to make all necessary planning applications applicable for the type and scale of the proposed development.
• Development Charge Deferrals
  • The Development Charges Act permits municipalities to defer development charges (DCs) for rental housing development and nonprofit housing developments. development. DCs are payable annually in equal installments beginning on the earlier of the date of the issuance of a permit under the Building Code Act, 1992 authorizing occupation of the building and the date the building is first occupied.
  • For the non-profit housing development, DCs will be paid in 21 annual equal instalments.
  • For purpose-built rental housing development that is not non-profit housing development, DCs will be paid in 6 annual equal instalments.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project must be located within Durham Region.
• Non-profit housing providers and for-profit developers are eligible to apply. Applicants must have experience in residential housing developments. They must also have experience operating rental housing or are partnered with an experienced organization that will provide these services.
• Projects will be evaluated on:
  • How it responds to community need, including targeted groups, unit size, location and affordability.
  • Depth of affordability.
  • Period of affordability.
  • Construction and operational costs of the project.
  • Opportunity for stacking with other housing incentive programs.
  • Number and percentage of units that will be affordable.
  • Access to transit, community amenities and services.
  • Energy efficiency and sustainability.
  • Accessibility, including barrier-free designs, elevators and other features.
  • Project planning, including obtaining required development permissions, financing and development schedule.
  • Applicant’s financial capacity, and experience with rental housing development and management.

For more information, visit Durham Region.

For more information, visit https://www.durham.ca/en/regional-government/regional-incentives.aspx#What-is-the-eligibility