Special one-time rental assistance is now available to housing co-operatives and non-profit housing providers whose operating agreements ended before April 1, 2016.
Just as the name says, temporary rental assistance is not long term, but it does mean—for up to a year—more money in the pocket of any co-op household paying more than 30 per cent of gross household income for housing. In B.C., this money will provide a year of assistance when temporary provincial subsidies end on March 31, 2021. It will replace any internal subsidies for as long as one year, enabling co-ops to contribute more to their capital reserves. This assistance will also help any households who are just getting by, owing to a pandemic job loss.
Your co-op needs to act fast. As you read this, the Agency is sending out letters of invitation by mail and by e-mail (where possible) with a link to an enrolment form to be returned by March 1, 2021. The invitation package also has answers to frequently asked questions about how Temporary Rental Assistance would work for your co-op. If you respond quickly, the assistance you are applying for could start as early as April 1, 2021 and run to March 31, 2022.
Recognizing that COVID-19 has meant hard times for many households, we would like to thank all of you for continuing to provide housing to lower-income members in your co-ops.
Please watch for our mailing package, and, if eligible, sign up for the temporary funding.
If you haven’t received your invitation by February 1 or if you have questions after reading the package, please contact Marg Callaghan at mcallaghan@agency.coop or 1-866-660-3140 extension 643
For more information, visit our resource page.
Temporary Rental Assistance Team
Project Lead: Gerry McEvoy
Consultants:
BC, Alberta, Ontario, PEI: Marg Callaghan, Debra Yip
Quebec: Daniel Godin , Jocelyne Gagne, Marie Murphy, Guy Riopel