Archived News Releases

News Release - Manitoba and Winnipeg

November 26, 2013

New Condo Building Offers Affordable Homes for Low-income Families in Winnipeg: Marcelino, Pagtakhan

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Development Brings Home Ownership Within Reach for New Canadians

A new condo building designed to meet the needs of low-income families celebrated its official opening today and was built with the support of the Government of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg, Housing and Community Development Minister Peter Bjornson and Mike Pagtakhan, councillor for Point Douglas, announced today.

“Families need a variety of housing options to meet their different needs and to fit individual financial circumstances,” Multiculturalism and Literacy Minister Flor Marcelino said at the official opening today on behalf of Minister Bjornson.  “This new building makes home ownership affordable for families that might otherwise be shut out by high prices in a competitive market.  That provides more stability for these families and strengthens the community.”

“This new vision and collaboration between the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba will help many Winnipeg families access quality and affordable housing,” said Councillor Pagtakhan.

The new building at 422 Ross Ave., which is a project of the Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corp., offers 10 affordable condos, all with three bedrooms.  The condos are approximately 1,000 square feet in size and already eight have been sold to low- to moderate-income first-time homebuyers.

Construction cost about $2.1 million.  The Manitoba government invested $828,000 through the HOMEWorks! initiative.  The City of Winnipeg provided $177,995 toward the project.  The balance will be bridge-financed through Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation (WHRC) until the condominiums are sold.  WHRC will manage the property.

Five of the condos are visitable units at ground level, with no step entrances, 36-inch wide doorways, accessible washrooms and small, fenced back-yard patios.  The other five condominiums are two-storey units with private balconies and ground-level main entrances.

Over the next three years, the Manitoba government will invest $100 million annually to restore and redevelop housing units in its portfolio.  An additional $34 million will be dedicated annually to repair existing stock and provide quality home environments for tenants. 

Manitoba will also build 500 more social housing units and 500 more affordable rental units over the next three years.  This is in addition to the 1,500 social housing and 1,500 affordable housing units that are on schedule for 2014.  These investments to build more affordable housing are in addition to increased benefits for employment income assistance recipients and other low-income Manitobans announced in Budget 2013 through an annual increase of $6.3 million in RentAid shelter benefits.

Through Manitoba’s housing strategy, HOMEWorks!, the Province of Manitoba and Government of Canada are contributing $378 million over two years for housing initiatives in Winnipeg and across the province.  More information about HOMEWorks! is available at www.gov.mb.ca/housing.

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