By Canadian Press

Liberals keeping close eye on rapid-housing program revamp for future, Hussen says

Jul 2, 2021 | 11:55 AM

OTTAWA — The federal minister in charge of building affordable housing says projects left waiting cap-in-hand when the program they applied to ran out of funds will be at the front of the queue during the second round of funding.

The $1 billion the Liberals set aside in the fall for the rapid-housing program went faster than the timelines to get units built.

Under the program, cities and housing providers were provided funding to build or buy units that could be quickly turned into affordable housing within 12 months. 

Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says applications for viable projects that were in line when the funding taps ran dry will be prioritized for federal dollars under the revamped program.

There is $1.5 billion on the table this time around, with cities again receiving $500 million but $1 billion this time for the oversubscribed project stream.

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Hussen also says the government will see how the second round of funding goes before deciding whether to renew the rapid-housing program, or make it a permanent part of the national housing strategy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2021.

The Canadian Press