Affordable Housing Development

What is Affordable Housing?

The Community Housing Department uses 80% of the Alternate Average Market Rent (AAMR) as “affordable” rent. The AAMR is based upon a regional rental market survey that is completed periodically by the Community Housing Department. The AAMR’s are used as the basis for calculating affordable rents for programs delivered by the Community and Social Services Division, including housing allowance’s and Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MMAH) affordable rental housing capital funding programs.  View the most recent Average Market Rent Survey Report for detailed regional rental information. – add latest AAMR report.

2024/2025 Leeds and Grenville Alternate Average Market Rent (AAMR) Table, Effective July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

Source: Community Housing Department, The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville

Market Rents

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) conducts an annual rental market survey in all urban areas with populations of 10,000 or greater. The survey targets privately initiated rental structures with at least three rental units, which have been on the market for at least three months. The survey collects rent levels, turnover, and vacancy unit data for all sampled structures. Visit the CMHC  Housing Market Information Portal for detailed information on Leeds and Grenville’s primary rental market (average market rents, median market rents), and new housing construction.

If applying for CMHC’s affordable rental housing construction funding programs, the average and median rental information for Brockville is used for Leeds and Grenville, some exceptions apply.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Average Market Rent (AMR) for Brockville, 2023

Source:  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Median Market Rent (MMR) for Brockville, 2023

Source:  Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 

Person-Centered Approach to Affordability

A discussion paper was created to review standard definitions in use for various Affordable Housing Programs, and the affordable shelter costs payable by low-to-moderate income households in Leeds and Grenville.  The following rent table is based upon the affordable rent payable (i.e. 30 percent of household income) for households in Leeds and Grenville that are in the 30^th to 60^th income percentile range.  The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville encourages considering the development of affordable housing units and programs that strive to provide rents that are at or below the Person-Centered Affordable Rents. 

Person-Centered Affordable Rent Table for The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Effective July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025

Source: Community Housing Department, The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville

There is a need for more Affordable Housing units throughout Leeds and Grenville, but especially in the City of Brockville, Town of Gananoque, Town of Prescott, and the Municipality of North Grenville. The following report provides an in-depth assessment of the socio-demographic characteristics in Leeds and Grenville, including regional summaries.

View the 2023 Review of Social Housing Supply and Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Leeds and Grenville Executive Summary, Report, and Infographic. 

Further information can be found by visiting the Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) website, which provides census based information to measure and compare housing needs in every community in Canada. (Link to website: https://hart.ubc.ca/housing-needs-assessment-tool/) 

Finding Development Lands

The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville provides a number of publicly available maps of the County, which are found here. Consider partnering with non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, or service clubs to develop affordable housing on land they own. Local realtors may be able to assist in finding institutional lands or commercial buildings that could be converted to residential uses.

Monitor the Canada Public Land Bank, federal, provincial and municipal websites for surplus land notices, and register to be notified in the various Bids and Tender portal’s for notices of surplus municipal lands for the development of housing. The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville’s Bid’s and Tender Portal is located here. 

Current Surplus Land Notices in Leeds and Grenville

Notices for surplus municipal land within Leeds and Grenville will appear here when available.

Land-Use Planning Information

Project Funding and Financing for the Development of Affordable Housing

Financing the various stages of your project can be a challenge, from obtaining seed funding to construction financing. The following resources are presently the major sources of funding and financing. Please contact the Affordable Housing Coordinator, who can assist you in determining what types of financing may be available to your organization, and they can assist in connecting you to get started.

Review the Affordable Housing Development Financing Sources Summary to see what funds may be available to you if you are a private developer, non-profit organization, or municipality. 

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund – Sustainable Affordable Housing
• Infrastructure Ontario
• Vancity Community Investment Bank

Provincial Capital Funding for Affordable Rental Housing Units

Occasionally there may be provincial funding that comes available through the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville’s Community Housing Department, which will be advertised on the Bids and Tenders Portal. Register here to be notified when capital funding is available for Affordable rental housing units.

Other Development Incentives

Some municipalities in Leeds and Grenville offer affordable housing development incentives. Contact the local municipal building and planning department for information on incentives offered.  Directory of local municipalities in Leeds and Grenville. 

Affordable and Co-operative Housing Development Guides

There are a number of free resources available to help inform the development process, some include:

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation offers a Development checklist for affordable housing found here.
• The Alberta Rural Development Network has created a Sustainable Housing Initiative – A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Affordable Housing found here.
• Wellington County Affordable Rental Housing Development Resource Guide found here.
• Co-operative Housing Development Guide from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is found here. 
• The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada has a How-To Guide on starting a housing co-operative, which is found here.