September 29, 2020
Manitoba Seeks Comprehensive Inventory, Assessment of Housing Properties
The Manitoba government is issuing two requests for proposals (RFP) to conduct a comprehensive inventory and evaluation of the province’s entire housing portfolio, which will help to create a long-term strategic capital plan, Families Minister Heather Stefanson announced today.
“We need to meet the housing needs of vulnerable Manitobans today, while also developing a long-term capital plan to ensure we can continue to do so in the future,” said Stefanson. “As outlined in the Department of Families mandate, this review will ensure the government has accurate data to make informed decisions for years to come, and that we continue to provide safe and affordable housing to thousands of Manitobans who need it.”
The first RFP will result in a building condition assessment for every Manitoba Housing property. The second RFP will seek appraisals to establish each property’s value as part of the public housing portfolio. Manitoba Housing owns more than 4,000 properties with more than 16,000 units across the province.
“Development of the capital plan will allow social housing repairs to be prioritized based on need and on the life cycle of our buildings,” said Stefanson. “This analysis will allow us to be strategic with provincial funding as well as with the funding available through the National Housing Strategy.”
The minister’s mandate letter identifies a review of social and affordable housing as a priority for the government, to ensure it can continue to meet the needs of vulnerable Manitobans.
As noted in a 2017 KPMG social housing review, more than two-thirds of the province’s housing stock is over 35 years old. The review also noted relatively stagnant investments in repairs and maintenance over the previous 20 years would likely result in higher modernization and improvement costs to extend the usable lifespan of the properties. This review is posted online at https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/proactive/fpr-phase-2-7.pdf.
Since 2016, the province has invested more than $100 million to create 631 new social and affordable housing rental units. The province also recently announced an investment of more than $31 million for maintenance and repairs of direct-managed housing properties this year, confirming that 800 units that would otherwise be vacant will be available to new tenants. In addition, the 10-year National Housing Strategy, signed last year, will result in an investment of more than $450 million of shared federal and provincial funding in Manitoba’s social housing.
The RFP is posted at www.merx.com.
- 30 -