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Federal government announces investments in affordable housing

Nov. 10, 2016 – The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, visited Toronto Community Housing Wednesday to address key stakeholders in the field of housing, homelessness, childcare. During his visit, he highlighted important measures outlined in the Fall Economic Statement and related to social infrastructure. These measures aim to build stronger, more inclusive communities and improve the quality of life of the middle class and those working hard to join it.

During his address, Minister Duclos reiterated the Government’s commitment to making smart and necessary investments that will revitalize the Canadian economy and spur long-term growth. To support this commitment, the Fall Economic Statement provides an additional $81.2 billion in infrastructure spending through to 2027–28, including a further investment of $21.9 billion into social infrastructure over 11 years. This long-term commitment supports the immediate and unprecedented investments of $3.4 billion in social infrastructure announced last spring through Budget 2016, to be delivered over five years.

These social infrastructure investments are targeted at expanding affordable housing, supporting early learning and child care and improving social infrastructure in Indigenous communities. More concretely, these Government of Canadainvestments include the following:

• Budget 2016 provided an additional $2.3 billion in affordable housing will be invested over two years to strengthen the economy and improve quality of life for Canadians, providing better places to live and grow. The Government is also working on a comprehensive National Housing Strategy that will chart the course for better housing, socio-economic and environmental outcomes for Canadians.
• Budget 2016 provided an additional $111.8 million over two years to enhance services to address homelessness through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. More than $12.5 million of that new funding will be invested in the Innovative Solutions to Homelessness stream, for which two calls for proposals were launched this fall. That important increase will allow a wide range of organizations and stakeholders to develop and test innovative approaches to prevent and reduce homelessness—particularly among specific homeless populations such as Indigenous Canadians, youth, women fleeing violence and veterans.
• The Government of Canada will work with the provincial and territorial governments to develop the Early Learning and Child Care Framework as a first step towards delivering affordable, high-quality, flexible and fully inclusive child care. Work is also underway to develop a dedicated Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework in close collaboration with Indigenous peoples to better meet the needs of Indigenous children and families. As a first step, Budget 2016 supports early learning and child care and the economic security of families by proposing to invest $500 million in 2017–18 to support the establishment of the Early Learning and Child Care Framework. Of this amount, $100 million would be for Indigenous child care and early learning on reserve.
• Budget 2016 announced $29.4 million in 2016–17 to undertake urgent repairs and renovations of the facilities used by the Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve Program and the First Nations and Inuit Child Care Initiative.

In the coming months, the Government will continue to work to ensure the successful implementation of the first phase of investments in support of social infrastructure and will announce further details on the allocations for the new $21.9 billion investment in social infrastructure through Budget 2017.

For more information
www.esdc.gc.ca/