New $10.4 Million Affordable Housing Project for Refugee and Immigrant Women Opens in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Feb. 6, 2015) - The Governments of Canada and Manitoba, along with the City of Winnipeg and Hargrave Holdings Ltd., today officially opened Marie Rose Place. The six-storey, 40-suite, long-term apartment community will provide support for immigrant and refugee women with low-to-moderate income transitioning from Holy Names House of Peace (HNHP) or elsewhere in the community.

The Marie Rose Place design includes 36 two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units. Four apartments are fully accessible for residents with disabilities. Each home is furnished and features in-suite washer/dryer, dishwasher, and microwave.

The facility, located on Edmonton Street in downtown Winnipeg, includes multi-purpose space, storage space, small commercial office space on the main level and residential suites on the five floors above. As an example of a multi-cultural home, the first residents at Marie Rose Place represent 13 different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

Quick facts:

• The project, developed by Hargrave Holdings Ltd., received a combined investment of $2 million through the Investment in Affordable Housing 2011-2014 (IAH). The funding comes as a result of the $62 million IAH 2011-2014 Agreement between the Governments of Canada and Manitoba. The Province of Manitoba is using the funds under this agreement to build more affordable housing and upgrade existing housing to ensure low-income Manitobans can provide safe, stable homes for their families.
  
  
• In July 2014, the Governments of Canada and Manitoba signed an extension to the IAH Agreement that will provide for a combined investment of $104 million for the 2014-2019 period to help more individuals and families in need access affordable housing.
  
  
• The Government of Canada also contributed close to $2 million to the Marie Rose Place project through the City of Winnipeg, the community entity that administers the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) in Winnipeg.
  
  
• Since the launch of the HPS in April 2007, nearly 34,000 Canadians who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless have benefitted from education and training opportunities; over 32,000 have received help to find work; and more than 5,770 new shelter beds have been created.
  
  
• The City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba have conditionally approved a combined amount of $767,979 in funding through the Downtown Residential Development Grant Program.
  
  
• The Province of Manitoba is additionally providing an estimated $480,000 toward the project under its Rental Housing Construction Tax Credit program, and is projected to provide just over $4 million in Rent Supplement assistance, over the next 15 years, to make all units available on a rent geared-to-income (RGI) basis.
  
  
• Hargrave Holdings Ltd. contributed $2,232,762 including land towards the project plus mortgage financing of approximately $3.5 million.
  
  

Quotes:

"New Canadians face many challenges, including finding safe, affordable homes where they can start to put down roots, make friends and adapt to their new country. Marie-Rose Place offers a beautiful setting where immigrants and refugees will be able to find a supportive community and a great start as they build new lives." - Honourable Kerri Irvin-Ross, Minister of Manitoba Housing and Community Development.

"It is gratifying to see this newly constructed housing complex in Winnipeg. These new units are a wonderful example of what can be achieved when we work together to develop more affordable housing. Our Government is dedicated to helping those in need, which is why we are proud to have invested in Marie Rose Place." - Lawrence Toet, Member of Parliament for Elmwood-Transcona, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State for Social Development.

"One of the most important parts of ensuring that newcomers to Winnipeg thrive is through the provision of affordable housing. Marie-Rose Place will provide a comfortable and secure place where families can grow within their new community. The City of Winnipeg is proud to administer the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.".- Mike Pagtakhan, Deputy Mayor, City of Winnipeg.

"Marie Rose Place is a truly unique project and is the result of a partnership of the Federal, Provincial, City Governments with Hargrave Holdings Ltd. Our focus is to provide a secure environment for the children and mothers who are from 13 different countries and are now making Winnipeg their new home." - Robert J. Dick, CEO, Hargrave Holdings Ltd.

Associated Links

• Homelessness Partnering Strategy

• Manitoba Housing

Backgrounder

Homelessness Partnering Strategy

The Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) is a unique, community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness by providing direct support and funding to 61 designated communities in all provinces and territories, as well as to Aboriginal, rural and remote communities across Canada, to help them address homelessness.

Economic Action Plan 2013 renewed the HPS with nearly $600 million in total funding over five years, ending in March 2019, using a Housing First approach.

Until recently, the most common way to deal with homelessness has been a "crisis-based" model-not just in Canada, but in many developed countries. This model involves relying heavily on shelters and other emergency interventions. Typically, individuals must first participate in a series of treatments and demonstrate sobriety before they are offered housing. This approach has been costly and not effective in the long term.

Without stable housing, it is much more difficult to participate in treatment programs and manage mental and physical health issues. This leads to high costs for emergency housing, hospitalization, shelters, prisons and a host of other crisis services.

Housing First, on the other hand, involves ensuring individuals have immediate housing before providing the necessary supports to help them stabilize their lives. Experiences in other countries have demonstrated that this approach shows great promise.

Investment in Affordable Housing

• Annually, the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), invests approximately $2 billion in housing. These investments improve the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people. Economic Action Plan 2013 continued this commitment with a federal investment of more than $1.25 billion over five years to renew the Investment in Affordable Housing to 2019. The Government of Canada will ensure that funds provided to provinces and territories support the use of apprentices, which will support training of skilled labour. To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC help Canadians meet their housing needs, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.
  
  
• The Manitoba government recently reached its five-year goal to provide funding commitments to create 1,500 new units of affordable housing throughout the province. The province is now working toward its new commitment to create another 500 affordable and 500 social housing units in the next three years. Manitoba Housing and Community Development's overall strategy complements Budget 2014, a plan to create good jobs, grow the economy and protect front-line services for families by focusing on what matters most to Manitoba families. More information is available at www.gov.mb.ca/housing.
  
  

Stay connected:

• Follow CMHC on Twitter @CMHC_ca

• Connect with Manitoba Housing at: www.gov.mb.ca/housing