Saint John acts on its new Affordable Housing Action Plan with the launch of a grant program to support the creation of new affordable housing supply

Applications now being accepted

At its meeting on January 9, 2023, Saint John Council approved a new Affordable Housing Grant Program aimed at increasing the number of affordable housing units in Saint John. Funding for the grant program has been provided by the Province of New Brunswick’s Regional Development Corporation (RDC) through funding received by the Government of Canada’s Transit Fund. This federal fund supports municipalities in addressing transit shortfalls and housing supply and affordability.

“Affordable housing and homelessness impacts cities in New Brunswick and across Canada. We need more affordable units, and we are working with our Provincial and Federal partners to create solutions,” says Saint John Mayor Donna Reardon. “The Affordable Housing Grant Program will directly support the construction of new affordable housing units for residents of Saint John. We are pleased to launch this grant program and to help address housing affordability in our city.” 

Applications for the Affordable Housing Grant Program are available through the City’s website from January 10 to February 8, 2023. The program will provide $10,000 per affordable unit for eligible non-profit housing providers up to a maximum of $200,000 and $8,000 per affordable unit for eligible private sector developers up to a maximum of $160,000. An additional amount of $50,000 in bonus funding is available to support innovative projects related to accessibility, energy efficiency, or that address market gaps.

Interested parties are encouraged to contact the City to determine eligibility of their project. Eligibility requirements include the following:

• Located in an area serviced by the City of Saint John
• Located within one kilometre of a transit stop (or within an Intensification Area as defined by the City’s Municipal Plan)
• In compliance with the Zoning By-law/Municipal Plan
• A building permit and proof of funding sources within 12 months of applying for a grant
• Developers who are unable to provide a building permit with their application must meet with City staff for a pre-application meeting to determine eligibility

In April 2022, the provincial government announced more than $6 million in funding to support municipalities in addressing transit shortfalls and to improve housing supply and affordability. Following that announcement, in May 2022, Saint John Council approved the allocation of $1.1 million in RDC funding awarded to the City towards affordable housing. This included $300,000 for the development of an Affordable Housing Action Plan, which was adopted in October 2022. The remaining $800,000 was allocated to the creation of the Affordable Housing Grant Program.

Further information about the Grant Program and Affordable Housing Action Plan can be found on the City’s website or by contacting affordable@saintjohn.ca.