Community Housing Pre-Development Fund Wrap-Around Supports
Issued November 8th, 2024, the City of Toronto’s new Community Housing Pre-Development Fund (CHPF) assists Community Housing Providers with the costs of pre-development work through interest-free repayable loan funding, specifically for work related to the development of new rent-geared-to-income (RGI), supportive, affordable rental, and rent-controlled homes. $15 million is available for 2024 and up to $50,000 per proposed affordable rental home may be provided at the City’s discretion.
As part of the initiative, the Toronto Alliance to End Homeless and the Infrastructure Institute (II) have been procured by the City of Toronto to provide wrap-around supports for prospective applicants to the CHPF. These wrap-around supports are intended for newer and/or less-experienced organizations in pursuit of rental or supportive housing who may lack proficiency in the relevant planning and development approval processes. The purpose is twofold: to ensure strong applications and an efficient roll-out of the program complementary to the City’s Rental Housing Supply Program (RHSP).
The wrap-around supports comprise:
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Compiled resources on industry standard services and procurement process for the housing pre-development process. It also includes self-assessment tools to help organizations determine their own qualifications and capacity to pursue development.
Pre-Development Process Manual: An overview of the overall process a housing provider undertaking a development project will typically experience. It includes best practices in building capacity, issuing RFPs, and the step-by-step stages through the pre-development process.
Organizational Readiness Checklist: A list of key questions to ask when assessing your organization’s ability to pursue a new housing redevelopment.
CMHC Checklist: A review of four key aspects of an affordable housing project covering 1) getting started with a project; 2) assessing feasibility; 3) pre-development considerations; and, 3) construction and management.
Model RFP: A template and guide on structuring RFPs for procuring consultants for master planning services.
Vendor List: A list of vendors providing expertise that have been used by those in the TAEH network in the past.
Note: This list is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered an endorsement or recommendation of any specific vendor. Please conduct your own research to determine suitability for your needs.
Public Sources of Funding: A list of public sources of funding for affordable housing projects at various stages of the development process.
SPRE Resource Page: Toolkits, guides, videos and other resources for organizations wishing to pursue social purpose real estate (SPRE) of which affordable housing is one category.
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TAEH and II hosted a joint session on Tuesday December 3rd, 2024 on recommended approaches to the CHPF application and information on how prospective applicants can engage II and TAEH for wrap-around supports. This session was intended for organizations that are interested in engaging with II and TAEH as part of the application process and have low internal capacity to conduct pre-development work.
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*Extended to February 27th 2025 *
Infrastructure Institute will host office hours until February 27th, 2025 to provide feedback to prospective applicants. The feedback is intended to help provide clarity in application requirements and may encompass (but not limited to):
The proposed development operation team and their qualification to ensure they meet City standards.
High-level feedback on financial viability and feasibility of proposed project. (i.e. make or break assessment on whether to apply to the program)
PAC meetings work in advance of the submission deadline
Feedback on proposals to ensure appropriate documentation and sufficient level of details are provided
KEY ADDENDA UPDATES
For the full set of updates and answers to posed questions, please see the attached Addenda on the City’s webpage.
Addendum #2 issued November 22 2024: Application deadline extended until February 28th 2025
Addendum #3 issued January 30, 2025: Pre-development Funding Agreement Template provided for reference.
More information on the CHPF can be found on the City’s guidelines and the application package can be found in the “Community Housing Pre-Development Fund” tab found here. For further questions, please email either Peter Martin at peter@taeh.ca or Sarah Chan at sarahq.chan@utoronto.ca.
Please note: Using these services is in the sole discretion of proponents. These services should be considered a resource and that using these services does not mean that an application will be successful. The City does not guarantee access to services provided and makes no representations as to the quality of the services provided.”
