Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing in Portneuf

PORTNEUF, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - June 22, 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), and Michel Matte, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Portneuf and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister Responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and the Canadian Francophonie and Minister Responsible for the Reform of Democratic Institutions and Access to Information, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister Responsible for the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ), celebrated the official opening today of the Coopérative de Solidarité La Résidence Portneuvienne, in the presence of Chantale Hamelin, Deputy Mayor of Portneuf, Mario Alain, President of the Coopérative de Solidarité La Résidence Portneuvienne, and community partners.

The construction of this 26-unit affordable housing project for semi-independent seniors required a total investment of more than $3.4 million, of which nearly $1.6 million was provided by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

"The Government of Canada is providing a hand-up to those who need it most here in Portneuf and across the country," said Senator Fortin-Duplessis. "We are pleased to see that the federal investments of more than $1.4 million helped to provide 26 affordable housing units for low-income seniors in this community."

In addition to the Government of Quebec, under the AccèsLogis Québec program of the SHQ, and the Government of Canada, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, community partners contributed more than $881,000 to the project, including more than $651,000 from the City of Portneuf. It should also be noted that the SHQ has secured the mortgage loan taken out by the organization to complete the financing of the project.

"It is essential to enable our seniors to stay in the community they love, and the achievement of this objective depends on the construction of residences like the one we are officially opening today. I am proud of our government's participation in this great project, and I want to congratulate everyone who contributed to its development. Thanks to these people who are committed to their community, 26 households in Portneuf can now enjoy quality affordable housing, in a pleasant and stimulating living environment," said MNA Michel Matte.

It should be specified that all the tenants of the residence 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 $437,000 in additional financial assistance, including over $393,000 from the SHQ and nearly $44,000 from the City of Portneuf.

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 $51,000 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, 4,818 community and affordable housing units have been, or are being, developed in the Capitale-Nationale region, including 240 in the riding of Portneuf, representing total investments of over $615 million 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.