Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)

The Government of Canada announced details about the new Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) on 17 March 2023. This $4 billion HAF fund is meant to support municipalities with new and transformational change. It will help build 100,000 new homes in Canada by September 2026.

About the HAF

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) administers the HAF which provides incentive funding for local governments aimed at increasing the supply of housing. It supports the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities that are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.

The Housing Accelerator Fund will allow The City to:

  • address the growing need for housing,
  • improve housing affordability,
  • offer a greater choice of housing options,
  • support the revitalization of Calgary’s downtown, and
  • invest in infrastructure to help maintain housing affordability in Calgary.

Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan initiatives

The City has been awarded $228.5 million for the funding of seven initiatives to deliver 6,825 units over and above our three-year average growth under the Council approved Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan. The funding is distributed to the City in four equal annual advances until the closure of the program in Sept 1, 2026.

All initiatives are underway. This page will continue to be updated as more information becomes available. Funding allocations will continue to be shared as programs begin.

One of the conditions of HAF funding is meeting the housing supply growth target. The housing supply growth target is to create a total of 41,858 units by October 27, 2026. This includes 6,825 HAF-incented units and 11,200 units per year of baseline units. 

There are also four additional targets that must be met for units close to transit, missing middle, multi-unit and affordable.   

Download the full Housing Accelerator Fund Contribution Agreement.

All initiatives are underway. This page will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

For industry

Building inclusive and equitable affordable housing programs

HAF funding will be allocated to create new funding programs to provide much needed financial resources to build capacity in the affordable housing sector, especially for Indigenous and equity-deserving groups. The City will partner with non-profit housing providers to increase the number of affordable housing units.

Key Milestones:

  • The City of Calgary Affordable Housing Funding Program (more information to come)
  • The continuation of the Non-Market Land Sale – Per Door Funding program of up to $75k per door. A cap of $25M of funding has been allocated to this program for successful non-profit applicants to receive. This funding is from the HAF. 
  • The continuation of the Indigenous Affordable Housing Funding Program.
  • Redesigning the Housing Incentive Program to deliver a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible program for Indigenous-led organizations and government and organizations led by serving equity-deserving populations.

Accelerating housing delivery in the downtown

HAF funding will be allocated to the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program. It will support the conversion of surplus office space to residential units.

Key Milestones:

  • Updating the program's Terms of Reference to Council 
  • Streamlining permitting processes

Enable housing growth in established areas

HAF funding will be used to help support multi-unit development and housing growth in Calgary’s community priority areas. This includes lowering barriers to development associated with infrastructure costs and requirements and investing in facilities and public realm improvements.

Key Milestones:

  • The development and launch of The Stormwater and Housing Impacts Project (SHIP) for developed areas. $14.85M in HAF funding has been allocated to this project. More information under Missing middle land use districts.
  • Upgrade public spaces in communities in established areas that are experiencing growth and redevelopment.
    • Projects will continue to support existing communities and will be similar to previous public space projects supported by the Established Area Growth and Change Strategy.
    • The 19 Street NW and 26 Ave SW projects have been selected to proceed under HAF. $12M in HAF funding has been allocated to these projects. The City will continue to lead the design and construction of these projects by partnering with industry experts through to completion.
  • Marda Loop Main Street Streetscape Project - $14M in HAF funding has been allocated to this project.
  • Shallow utilities relocation investigation - $1.98M in HAF funding has been allocated to this project. 
  • Funding opportunities for local infrastructure upgrades

Missing middle land use districts

HAF funding for this initiative will promote the development of missing-middle housing. This includes encouraging the delivery of more missing middle housing by reducing barriers associated with on-site utility requirements, by providing a stormwater incentive program in new communities.

Key Milestones:

  • Approve land use bylaw amendments to allow for more variety of ground-orientated housing forms. COMPLETED
  • Develop and implement The Stormwater and Housing Impacts Project (SHIP). $900,000 in HAF funding has been allocated to this project.

 

Building homes and managing stormwater in Calgary are combined efforts between landowners, developers, and The City. The goal of the Stormwater & Housing Impacts Project (SHIP) is to encourage building more housing units and more stormwater infrastructure in ways that work together.

 

As part of this work, a pilot project is now available to fund stormwater mains for residential developments in the Established Area. For 2024 (development applications submitted between October 2023 and November 2024), this initiative will support the construction of essential stormwater main extensions required for residential developments, with additional consideration for developments that do not require a stormwater main extension but opt to provide one as a benefit to the surrounding properties.

Investing in transit oriented development

HAF funding will be used to support new housing around transit stations that are well-suited for development. Work to accommodate new housing includes removing policy barriers, preparing sites for redevelopment and upgrading streetscapes, parks and plazas to support existing and future residents, businesses, and transit riders.

Visit Transit Oriented Development (TOD) for more information.

Key Milestones:

  • Ramsay-Inglewood Station local public realm upgrades. Initial stages of construction will begin in summer, 2024.
  • Development of the Franklin South station area for affordable and mixed market housing. $9.5M in HAF funding has been allocated to this project. The City launched an expression of interest for the Franklin Station park-and-ride site on June 17, 2024.

For public

Streamlining approvals to increase housing supply

City-led re-designations will help promote housing development in all neighborhoods throughout the city.

Key Milestones:

  • Undertake city-initiated redesignations. Council voted to approve citywide rezoning with amendments on May 14, 2024. COMPLETED

 

Removing the redesignation application barriers and approvals process will make it faster for new homes to be built. This translates directly to lower housing costs.

Incentivizing legal secondary suites

HAF funding will be used to support a secondary suite incentive program. A key priority for Council, city funding was approved in the November 2023 budget. This will enable safe, legal homes for Calgarians of all income levels and support aging in place. $40.2M in HAF funding has been allocated to this initiative over the next three years.

Key Milestones:

 

 

Our progress

Progress toward the Housing Supply Growth Target

The disbursement of HAF funding depends on The City meeting the overall Housing Growth Supply Target of 41,858 units by October 27, 2026. This chart shows that we are on track and have achieved 19,706 units compared to the target of 12,782 units as of September 2024.

Housing Supply Growth Target graph

CMHC and City of Calgary Milestones

The final HAF advance depends on achieving the housing growth targets.

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1 2016

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Citywide growth strategy's discussions with industry began

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2 2019

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Commence work with industry on downtown plan and program

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3 2022

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Industry engagement in preparation for launch of HAF

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4 2023

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Feedback integrated into HAF application

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5 2023

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Engagement with homeowners on secondary suites

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6 Q4 2024

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Progress report due to CMHC and second $57M advance

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7 2024-2026

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Rollout of HAF Action Plan and working with industry and the housing sector

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8 Q4 2025

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Progress report and Housing Needs Assessment due to CMHC. Third $57M advance.

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9 October, 2026

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Funding distributed

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10 Q4 2026

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Progress report due to CMHC and final $57M advance conditional on Housing Supply Growth Target.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did The City get the funding?

Municipalities were required to submit an action plan to CMHC. The plan needed to identify at least seven transformational initiatives with a proposed number of housing units.

Calgary City Council approved an action plan to help address the housing crisis affecting more than one in five Calgary households. This plan was submitted in June 2023, and The City recently signed an agreement in partnership with CMHC, to increase the housing supply in Calgary to support Calgarians.

How is The City spending the funding?

The City of Calgary’s Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan supports seven initiatives. Each initiative has outcomes to achieve with specific programs and projects and allocation of funds to ensure success of the initiatives. 

How can I get involved?

The City cannot deliver outcomes under each initiative on its own. We will rely on industry, non-profit organizations, major partners, and Calgarians to support. More information on how you can get involved will be communicated soon.

Is it a loan from the Federal Government?

No, the Housing Accelerator Fund is designed to provide incentive funding to local governments and meant to be used to increase housing supply.

How does the funding help affordable housing and housing affordability challenges?

The City is partnering with the federal government in receiving funds that can address the growing need for housing across Calgary. The funding will align with the implementation of some of the 98 actions in the Home is here, The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy. This will help grow housing in both the short and long term in Calgary and address the affordability challenges Calgarians are facing.

How was industry engaged?

The City of Calgary’s action plan was kept confidential during the development of the application to maintain a competitive advantage and secure one of the highest HAF allocations across the country.

During this time, The City used feedback provided by the housing industry during engagement in summer 2022 to inform the action plan. Enabling Housing Growth in established areas, is especially important in addressing barriers identified by industry. Discussions have been ongoing with industry through the Citywide Growth Strategy since 2016 to explore solutions to housing barriers, and many of those ideas were put forward for action under this funding program.

We trust that industry will see that their interests are well represented in these actions, with a particular focus on supporting redevelopment.

How will the funding flow to Calgary?

The funding will flow in four equal annual payments of $57M. The City received the first advance in November 2023. The second advance is expected in November 2024, with the third advance in November 2025 and the final payment in November 2026. The final payment is contingent on completion of the initiatives and housing unit targets achieved. 

What has The City committed to in the Contribution Agreement with CMHC?

There are three overarching commitments the City has made:

  1. Submission of a housing needs assessment (this has been completed). 
  2. Completion of the initiatives and associated milestones in the approved Contribution Agreement.
  3. Achievement of Housing Supply Growth Targets

What are the conditions of HAF funding?

  1. The City has delivered all reporting requirements and CMHC is satisfied.
  2. CMHC is satisfied with The City’s progress on the commitments.
  3. The City has achieved the Housing Supply Growth Target. 

What is The City’s Housing Supply Growth Target?

The Housing Supply Growth Target is one of the conditions of HAF funding. The target is to create a total of 41,858 units between 2023 October 27, and 2026 October 27. The actual target includes the 6,825 HAF-incented units above CMHC’s determined baseline growth target of 11,500 units per year.

There are also four additional targets for multi-unit housing (10,627 units), missing middle housing (15,956 units), multi-unit housing (4,098 units), and affordable housing units (1.77 per cent of growth target). 

What is the intent of the Housing Accelerator Fund?

Through the provision of incentive funding, CMHC intends to use the HAF to drive transformational change within the sphere of control of the local government regarding land use planning and development approvals with the overall objective to accelerate supply of housing and enhance certainty in the approvals process.

Additional priorities of the HAF are to support the development of complete communities, support the development of affordable, equitable and inclusive communities and support the development of low-carbon and climate resilient communities.

What are the missing middle land use districts?

H-GO is a new housing district for the Centre and Inner City that allows a range of grade-oriented housing. This district adds the option of higher intensity redevelopment than that of R-CG, but still maintains direct ground-level access for all homes (i.e., no apartment forms).

As a result of timing, changes of this new land use district that came into effect 2023 Jan 2, can be considered an initiative as part of the Action Plan.

Was the decision to change the zoning and make the base residential district RC-G influenced by the Federal government/programming/funding?

The decision to change the zoning to RC-G has not yet been made. This is a Council decision with significant public engagement planned over the next few months. The decision to change the zoning or not will be made after the public hearing on 2024 April 22. 

Discussions about the proposal to change the zoning began as part of Housing Affordability Task Force discussions starting in 2022 before the launch of the Housing Accelerator Fund in March 2023. The main reason for the idea is its potential to help address the housing crisis through the creation of more diverse housing options.

The Housing and Affordability Task Force had a mandate to report to Council with advice and policy recommendations related to increasing, measuring, and managing housing affordability and affordable housing along the entire housing continuum, including a survey/review of existing programs, policies, and solutions both locally and in other relevant jurisdictions. 

Will the rezoning decision impact HAF funding?

If Council does not approve the rezoning on 2024 April 22, the final HAF payment may be impacted.

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