Public Service Announcement
Town’s Round 2 Application Not Approved
CMHC Rapid Housing Initiative
Information for the Public
Release Date: December 7, 2021
It has long been a situation where there is an urgent need for more affordable housing in Central Labrador. The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay has been actively looking for cost-effective interventions to address the shortages.
The Town recently applied for a second time to the Rapid Housing Initiative through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The Town was unsuccessful in the pursuit of funding during the first round in late 2020, but in the summer of 2021, CMHC announced the second round of $1.5 billion to create affordable homes. Unfortunately, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation recently advised the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay that it was unsuccessful in the round 2 application process.
The round 2 application from the Town represented a significant new partnership for the municipality. In collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), the provincial public housing authority, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay submitted a revised funding application, still seeking 25 units of primarily affordable one-bedroom housing, but with the addition of several two-bedroom units to meet the needs of more low-income parents with children. The partnership with NLHC has deepened, with a renewed commitment of operational and capital support.
The new builds would have been absorbed into the local public housing stock already owned and operated by NLHC. The Town would have therefore benefited from the established expertise of the provincial public housing authority to manage the properties throughout their lifespan. This project would have represented a tremendous inter-governmental partnership with contributions from the municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government. It would have gone a long way towards addressing housing insecurity in the community of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is highly disappointed that the Round 2 Application in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Rapid Housing Initiative was not approved. However, the Town remains committed to finding solutions and partnerships to tackle one of the community’s most significant issues.