On September 20, 2002 a
provincial-federal jointly funded program called the Affordable Housing
Initiative (AHI) was announced at 222 Furby Street. The AHI program will help improve existing housing, increase
home ownership and make new rental units more accessible to Manitobans.
The AHI New Rental Supply
Program will work with the private sector, non-profit and co-operative
organizations, providing access to capital funding to help develop a new supply
of rental stock.
What is the AHI?
The AHI is an approximately
$50.0 million, five-year joint venture of the federal and provincial
governments, developed to increase the supply of affordable rental units and new
housing available in Manitoba. This
will be achieved by supporting the development of new rental and homeowner
units, offering a repair/conversion option, and providing homebuyer down payment
assistance. In addition, a new rent
supplement component is being planned.
What will the AHI
new rental supply program do?
This AHI program will help
provide more affordable new rental units across Manitoba for low-to-moderate
income renters.
What will the
program do for the private rental market?
The New Rental Supply
Program is targeted at the development of a new supply of rental stock by
working with the private sector and providing access to capital funding.
What will the
program do for the non-profit and co-operative rental market?
The program will increase
the supply of rental stock by working with the non-profit sector and providing
access to capital funding. This
program will work with existing provincial programs such as the Proposal
Development Funding (PDF) and 10% loan guarantee, which will be available for
non-profit groups to help them secure mortgage funding. New construction and redevelopment projects are eligible for
PDF and 10% loan guarantee.
Where will the new
rental supply program be available?
The New Rental Supply
Program will be available in targeted urban revitalization areas and in remote
areas. It will also be available
throughout the province.
Will AHI replace
existing programs like the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP)?
No. In Winnipeg, the AHI programs will be available through the
Winnipeg Housing and Homelessness Initiative.
The AHI will work together with other provincial and federal housing
programs such as the Neighbourhood Housing Assistance (NHA) and RRAP.
AHI will also help existing neighbourhood renewal programs work even
better. AHI will also complement
other regional initiatives such as the Northern Development Strategy.
Who will be helped
by the rental repair/conversion program?
The Rental Repair program
will provide funding to eligible landlords so they can offer affordable rental
accommodations for low-to-moderate income families and individuals.
The funding would be used to repair rental properties to meet certain
health and safety requirements.
The rental conversion
portion would provide assistance to convert non-residential properties into
affordable rental housing.
What makes someone
eligible for funding?
Rental properties must be
self-contained units occupied by low-to-moderate income tenants.
Rental rates must be at or below the median market and remain so for at
least 10 years. The funding must be
used to repair rental properties to meet health and safety requirements.
Eligible properties must be environmentally safe and reasonable
convertible to quality housing.
Where will the
repair/conversion program be available?
The Repair/Conversion
program will be available in targeted urban revitalization areas and in remote
areas. It will also be available
throughout the province.
Where can I get
more information about the AHI?
For more AHI information and application forms, please call 945-5566 in Winnipeg or toll-free in Manitoba 1-866-689-5566.