The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a national program administered by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) help local governments make lasting changes that improve housing supply. The program supports affordable, inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient communities by removing barriers and providing incentive funding to speed up housing development.
In February 2024, the Town was awarded $5.2M through the Housing Accelerator Fund and signed an agreement with CMHC to deliver initiatives that will increase housing supply and create more housing options in the Town.
Funding Goals and Targets
The Town and CMHC have agreed to a Housing Supply Growth target of 801 permitted housing units by the end of 2026, including: 393 missing middle housing units, 304 other multi-housing units and 1.37 per cent of the Housing Supply Growth target will be affordable units.
Program funding can be invested in:
- Completing HAF Action Plans
- Affordable housing projects
- Housing-related infrastructure
- Community-related infrastructure that supports housing
As part of the HAF agreement, the Town has committed to delivering these seven initiatives:
- Development Approvals Process Streamlining, Process Clarity, and E-Permitting
- Accessory Dwelling Unit Bylaw Amendments and Incentives Strategy
- Downtown Master Plan Zoning Amendments and Infrastructure Assessment
- Parking Regulations Review and Revisions
- Missing Middle Plex Zoning Actions Implementation
- Bylaw and Policy Updates
- Anderton Corridor/Guthrie Road Transit Orientated Development Housing
All of these initiatives will be completed by the end of the year (2025).