Today, with local Members of Parliament, the City of Kitchener announced the first group of recipients of the Not-for-Profit Affordable and Co-operative Housing Incentives.
Announced in June 2024, the City of Kitchener is providing a $10,000-per-unit grant to help build more than 500 new not-for-profit affordable housing units. Funding will help cover early project costs for developments that provide not-for-profit supportive, affordable rental or affordable co-op housing units.
The first group of grant recipients announced today, totaling just over 70 new affordable units are:
- KW Habilitation Services (878 Frederick Street) – 18 units
- Thresholds Homes and Supports (667 Victoria St S)– 30 units
- Eleven Housing Corp. (59 Franklin St. S) – 22 units
This housing announcement marks another milestone in the relationship between the Federal Government, City of Kitchener and community partners to get more affordable housing built throughout our community. This program is part of Kitchener’s Housing for All vision and is supported through the Federal Government’s Housing Accelerator Fund initiative.
To celebrate the funding, KW Habilitation and officials from the Government of Canada and City of Kitchener broke ground on the 878 Frederick Street site that will accommodate 18 supportive housing units.
Quotes
“Kitchener is committed to Housing for All and we’re thrilled to announce another exciting initiative as part of our federal Housing Accelerator Fund commitment. Tackling the housing crisis and making sure we have housing options for everyone in Kitchener requires community and government partners to come together in the spirit of collaboration and innovation. With the help of the federal government, we are getting more affordable and co-operative housing built here in Kitchener.”
– Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor, City of Kitchener
“As Kitchener continues to grow at a fast pace, increasing housing supply across the continuum is a priority for City Council. Today, we are demonstrating the power of partnership and putting federal dollars to work by accelerating affordable housing. This Not-for-Profit Affordable and Co-operating Housing incentives program is one of many innovative solutions that Team Kitchener has developed to get more housing built across the continuum.”
– Scott Davey, Ward 1 Councillor, City of Kitchener
“Our federal government is committed to supporting people here in Kitchener-Conestoga and across Waterloo Region with their housing needs, which is why we introduced the Housing Accelerator Fund. By working closely with municipalities like the City of Kitchener, we’re not just providing safe and affordable housing; we’re building stronger, more connected neighbourhoods. These three projects announced today will make a real difference for people right here in our community.”
— Tim Louis, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga
“The federal government has been working with municipalities across the country to incentivize the construction of more housing through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The City of Kitchener has played a supportive role in this significant initiative, and our ongoing partnership will help make housing more affordable for those in greatest need in our city.”
— Valerie Bradford, Member of Parliament for Kitchener – Hespeler
“The Housing Accelerator Fund allows the federal and municipal governments to work together to eliminate barriers, and support local initiatives that will build even more homes, faster. Today’s announcement is an example of the Government of Canada working directly with the City of Kitchener to meet the affordable housing needs of residents who call this community home.”
— The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Member of Parliament for Waterloo
“KW Habilitation is proud to be a recipient of the City of Kitchener Affordable Housing grant. With these funds we can do the early groundwork towards building an 18-unit apartment building that will bring a “home” to 24 people in our community. We know the need is great and with these types of incentives, we encourage others to take the leap and build more affordable housing for our community. Together we will be the difference and one project at a time we will see the difference.”
– Ann Bilodeau, CEO, KW Habilitation
“667 Victoria Street South represents more than just a building – it’s a commitment to providing innovative solutions to our community’s urgent need for affordable housing,” said Eric Philip, CEO, Thresholds Homes and Supports. “We are grateful for the participation from all levels of government in funding this project, and we are especially thankful to KW Urban Native Wigwam Housing Project and Crow Shield Lodge for their partnership and collaboration.”
– Eric Philip, CEO, Thresholds Homes and Supports
“Eleven Housing Corporation is excited to be one of the first recipients of this new Incentive Program by the City of Kitchener through the Housing Accelerator Fund. This funding helps not-for-profit organizations through a critical point in the development process for affordable housing. Eleven is focused on bringing the skills from the local non-profit, business and housing sectors together to deliver affordable housing for community partners. Thank you to The City of Kitchener for this step in making our 59 Franklin St. S. Project a reality.”
– Mike Maxwell, President, Eleven Housing Corp.
For more information, contact:
Bethany Rowland
Director, Corporate Communications & Marketing
City of Kitchener
[email protected]
Shannon Weber
Chief of Staff
City of Kitchener
[email protected]
About the Housing Accelerator Fund
In November 2023, the federal government announced a $42.4 million Housing Accelerator Fund allocation for the City of Kitchener. This funding will fast-track the construction of 1,216 new homes by early 2027 to help address housing affordability and the increasing demand for housing in our community.
The Housing Accelerator Fund helps cut red tape and fast-track at least 100,000 new homes for people in towns, cities and Indigenous communities across Canada. It asks for innovative action plans from local governments and, once approved, provides upfront funding to ensure the timely building of new homes, as well as additional funds upon delivering results. Building Kitchener Together and the transformative projects outlined here are part of our action plan for the Housing Accelerator Fund.
