Community Housing Fund - Program and Proposal Process

As part of the biggest investment in housing affordability in BC history, $1.9 billion over 10 years, the Province, through the Building BC: Community Housing Fund will be issuing a 2nd notice of funding spring 2020.

Program overview

The Province recognizes there is an urgent need to create more options for those struggling to find suitable, adequate, and reasonably priced accommodation. Together with our housing partners, we’re developing affordable rental homes for middle and low-income families, independent seniors and individuals in BC.

BC Housing will work with non-profit organizations, housing co-operatives, and local government to create this additional supply through the submission and approval of project proposals.

The program does not include housing with support services or residential care components.

Community Housing Fund projects

To view Community Housing Fund projects across BC, go to Homes for BC

Request for proposals (RFP)

The Government of BC is inviting non-profit and Indigenous housing societies, First Nations, housing co-operatives and municipalities to propose new affordable housing projects for the second intake of the Building BC: Community Housing Fund.

Organizations are invited to submit project proposals to BC Housing beginning on May 27, 2020. The RFP will remain open until mid-January 2021; however, organizations that have “Construction-Ready Projects” are encouraged to apply early by September 4^th 2020.

The first Request for Proposals (RFP# 1070-1819/016) for new rental housing units under the Building BC: Community Housing Fund (CHF) was issued April 18, 2018 and closed on September 17, 2018.

Project proposals must reflect the following mix of rents and incomes within a single building:

30% Affordable housing (moderate income)
50% Rent geared to income (housing income limit)
20% Deep subsidy

New projects can be combined with an existing mixed-use site or existing housing if the new project is a separate and independently operating rental housing development (e.g. separate legal parcels or separate financial operations).

Pre-Recorded Information Session

The information session has been pre recorded and is available at this link: https://vimeo.com/430802462/523d8bd994

Addendum with Questions and Answers

The Addendum with Questions and Answers and amendment to the RFP Clause 3.5.6 has been issued on July 21, 2020. Please find it in the list of attachments below.

Addendum with Clarification for Construction-Ready projects submission

The Addendum with Clarifications for submitting Construction-Ready projects on September 4, 2020 has been issued on July 31, 2020. Please find it in the list of attachments below.

RFP Submissions

Who should submit a project proposal?

Proponents must be a non-profit organization, Indigenous organization, First Nations, non-profit housing co-operative or municipal housing provider that is wholly government-owned and controlled.

Once operating, the organization will be wholly responsible for:

Collection of rents
Resident management and selection of new residents
Building maintenance and upkeep: internal and external
Community relations
Capital planning
Preparing annual operating budgets.
Develop financial management and governance polices.
Develop Business Continuity Plan

Submission documents and funding resources

Details on requirements and deliverables, the proposal review process, submission requisites and forms, and the CHF program will be available soon.

Details on requirements and deliverables, the proposal review process, submission requisites and forms, and the CHF program can be found in the RFP document and appendices below.

Submission dates

RFP issued: May 27th 2020

Submission deadline for "Construction-ready Projects": September 4^th 2020

Submission deadline for All Other Projects: January 15^th 2021

Questions

For submission questions, please contact purchasing@bchousing.org