Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing

MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - June 26, 2012) - Senator Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Emmanuel Dubourg, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Viau and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister Responsible for the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ); Gilles Deguire, City of Montréal Executive Committee member responsible for housing and social housing; and Anie Samson, Mayor of the Borough of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, are pleased to mark the official opening of the Maison des Sourds. The construction of this community housing project, which offers 60 affordable units for people who are deaf, deaf and blind, or hard of hearing, required a total investment of more than $11.2 million, of which nearly $4 million was provided by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

In addition to the Government of Canada, through the Affordable Housing Initiative Program Extension Agreement and Canada's Economic Action Plan, and the Government of Quebec, under the AccèsLogis Québec program of the SHQ, the City of Montréal contributed more than $1.1 million to the project, an amount repaid by the Montréal Metropolitan Community out of the social housing fund to which the 82 municipalities on its territory contribute, including the City of Montréal, which provides almost half of the funding. As well, close to $48,000 in additional financial assistance was provided in equal shares by the Government of Quebec and the City of Montréal, under the Renovation Québec program.

"Through the Economic Action Plan 2012, our government is taking action to help ensure our economic recovery and create the conditions for long-term growth. Funding projects like the Maison des Sourds will not only improve the housing conditions for people who are deaf, deaf and blind, or hard of hearing in Montréal but also help stimulate the local economy and create jobs," said Senator Fortin-Duplessis.

"The Maison des Sourds plays a key role in our community by providing people who are deaf, deaf and blind, or hard of hearing with quality affordable housing that meets their needs and a pleasant living environment that will be conducive to their growth. Our government could only support such an initiative, and I want to congratulate everyone who contributed to this project, together with the SHQ," said MNA Emmanuel Dubourg, in the presence of France Beaudoin, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Maison des Sourds, and local partners.

"For our administration, it's exciting to see the Maison des Sourds finally completed. This project provides an adequate home for deaf persons who experience difficulties, even injustices, when it comes to housing. These people will find in their home a pleasant and safe living environment that focuses on universal accessibility and offers facilities meeting the specific needs of persons with several types of functional limitations," said Gilles Deguire.

It should be specified that 47 of the tenants of the Maison des Sourds can benefit from the Rent Supplement program, which provides financial assistance to low-income individuals who would otherwise have to spend more than 25 per cent of their income on housing. The rent supplements provided will represent, over a five-year period, more than $790,000 in additional financial assistance, including over $711,000 from the SHQ and some $79,000 from the City of Montréal.

It should be noted that this project, like all projects developed under the AccèsLogis Québec program, was designed so as to obtain the Novoclimat certification. To help it meet this requirement, which well demonstrates the importance attached to improving energy efficiency by the Government of Quebec, the project received a grant of more than $117,000 from the Bureau de l'efficacité et de l'innovation énergétiques of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of almost 605,000 households living in social housing. In Quebec, this represents some 129,550 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

To find out more about how CMHC is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

In the 2012/2013 budget, the Government of Quebec announced that it intends to build an additional 3,000 housing units, bringing to 35,000 units its objective of producing new affordable housing in Quebec. This represents an additional contribution of $180 million under the AccèsLogis Québec program and the private component of the Affordable Housing Québec program, and brings to nearly $1.5 billion the total assistance provided since 2003.

Since 2003, 12,876 community and affordable housing units have been, or are being, developed in the city of Montréal, including 325 in the riding of Viau, representing total investments of over $1.7 billion by the governments and their partners.

The SHQ's mission is to facilitate citizens' access to appropriate housing conditions. Each year, through its various programs, the SHQ supports more than 240,000 households across Quebec. For more information on this agency's programs and services, visit www.habitation.gouv.qc.ca/english.html.