CANADA, August 7 - Released on August 6, 2024

Single-parent families in La Loche have more options for affordable housing, thanks to investments from the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan.  

Member of the Legislative Assembly for Athabasca, Jim Lemaigre, on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Gene Makowsky, joined representatives from Methy Housing Corporation to officially welcome families into their new two-bedroom homes.   

The six new housing units are in three semi-detached buildings and will provide affordable housing to six low-income, single-parent households in La Loche. Families will also receive mentorship and support from Methy Housing Corporation family support workers.  

Multiple partners provided funding for the construction of the six new homes: 

• $677,880 from Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) through the Rental Development Program; 
• $420,000 from the federal government through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy, part of the National Housing Strategy (NHS); 
• $105,000 from the Northern Village of La Loche; and
• $15,000 from Methy Construction and Maintenance Corporation.  

Quotes: 

"The federal government is working with our partners in Saskatchewan to provide more affordable housing across the province," Federal Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan Dan Vandal said on behalf of Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Sean Fraser. "Today's announcement is just one example of collaboration among different levels of government to address the unique housing needs in rural communities."

"As we celebrate the opening of these six new affordable single-parent homes in La Loche, we reaffirm our commitment to providing stable, supportive housing solutions across the province," Saskatchewan Social Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Gene Makowsky said. "This initiative exemplifies our shared dedication to fostering vibrant communities and ensuring every resident can prosper and build a brighter future for themselves and their families."

"The provision of six additional housing units for single-parent families is a much-welcomed project for our community," Methy Housing Corporation President Georgina Jolibois said. "The continued financial support from Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and the Reaching Home Program through Canada-Saskatchewan Programs is much appreciated and the community looks forward to same future partnership approaches in addressing housing needs in La Loche."  

 Quick Facts: 

• Canada's NHS is a 10-year, $82-plus billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home. 
• NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, and people with lived experience of housing need. 
• All NHS investments delivered by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments will respect the key principles of NHS that support partnerships, people and communities. 
• Launched in April 2019 as part of the NHS, Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy contributes to supporting the needs of the most vulnerable Canadians and to improving access to safe, stable and affordable housing. This includes supporting the reduction of homelessness, including chronic homelessness. 
• Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial and rural and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs. 
• Through Reaching Home, the federal government is already investing $4 billion over nine years to address homelessness. As stated in Solving the Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan, Budget 2024 proposes an additional $1 billion over four years for Reaching Home, starting in 2024-25. 
• In 2019, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada entered into an agreement through the NHS. The CMHC-Saskatchewan Bilateral Agreement will invest $585 million over 10 years, which is cost matched by the federal and provincial governments.
• Methy Housing Corporation is a non-profit organization, owned by the Northern Village of La Loche, that owns and operates affordable housing units in the village. Since 2007, SHC has worked with Methy Housing Corporation to develop 85 affordable housing units (including this project) in La Loche.

Associated Links: 

• As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry.  For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. 
• To find out more about the NHS, please visit: www.placetocallhome.ca. 
• To find out more about the Reaching Home program, please visit: Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
• In November 2019, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Growth Plan: the Next Decade of Growth 2020-2030, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.4 million people by 2030. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. To learn more, visit: www.saskatchewan.ca.                                                                        

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