Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)
CMHC fund that pays local governments to cut red tape and reform planning systems (zoning, permitting, missing-middle and transit-oriented density) so more homes get built faster. It is an INDIRECT benefit to landlords/developers: it does not fund individual buildings, but the zoning and process reforms it pays for make it easier to build rental and multi-unit housing in participating communities. New applications are now closed.
What you get
Funding for affordable housing
Who it's for
Applicants are local/municipal governments and Indigenous communities/governments, NOT individual landlords or developers.
This takes you to the official website
What to have ready
Documents they may ask for
- Government ID for everyone in your household, if available
- A copy of your lease or rent agreement
- Recent rent receipt, ledger, or proof of what you owe
- Recent pay stubs, benefit statement, or income proof
- ODSP, Ontario Works, CPP, OAS, or other benefit statement if you have one
- Recent bank statement, if the program asks for it
What to say when you call
“Hi, I found your housing support program and I want to check if I can apply. Can you tell me the current rules, documents needed, and the next step?”
Use the official page first, then call 211 if you are not sure where to start.
Can I get this?
You have a good chance if this sounds like you:
- Applicants are local/municipal governments and Indigenous communities/governments, NOT individual landlords or developers
- Large/Urban Stream: communities in a Canadian province with population 10,000+ (2021 census)
- Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream: communities in a territory, Indigenous communities, or provincial communities under 10,000
- Municipalities submit an Action Plan with transformational initiatives and unit targets
What to do next
Check off each step as you go — we'll remember where you are.
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The fine print
More details about the money
Funding to a municipality is based on the projected increase in permitted units and associated housing types, paid in phases tied to milestones (e.g. zoning changes, permit targets). The program page does not publish a fixed per-community amount. (CMHC has reported large cumulative commitments since the March 2023 launch; the exact total moves over time, so confirm the current figure with CMHC rather than quoting a fixed number.)
Amounts and eligibility change. Confirm the current figure with the program administrator through the official link before you rely on it.
The full eligibility rules
Applicants are local/municipal governments and Indigenous communities/governments, NOT individual landlords or developers. Large/Urban Stream: communities in a Canadian province with population 10,000+ (2021 census). Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream: communities in a territory, Indigenous communities, or provincial communities under 10,000. Municipalities submit an Action Plan with transformational initiatives and unit targets.
Good to know
Verified against the live CMHC page: 'Applications are now closed.' Applicant base (municipal/Indigenous governments, not individual landlords) and the two-stream 10,000-population threshold are confirmed. CORRECTION applied: the live page did not publish the '$4.37B committed' or '750,000+ homes' figures I was asked to verify, so I removed the specific dollar figure from benefit_amount and softened it to 'large cumulative commitments' with a 'confirm with CMHC' caveat rather than asserting an unverified number. Removed the 2026 tracking-progress news-release source URL since I could not confirm its specific figures on the program page. Included in this bucket because the original bucket named Housing Accelerator Fund; the direct audience is municipal, but the downstream beneficiary is the development/landlord sector.
Official sources we checked
- https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/housing-accelerator-fund
- https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/housing-accelerator-fund/housing-accelerator-fund-large-urban
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