City of Edmonton,  Edmonton Community Foundation launch  $2-million program to help faith-based charities explore opportunities to add affordable housing on their properties

News Release

New grant for faith-based charities exploring affordable housing


The City of Edmonton and Edmonton Community Foundation have launched a $2-million program to help faith-based charities explore opportunities to add affordable housing on their properties.

The Faith Lands Affordable Housing Incentive provides eligible applicants with up to $135,000 for pre-construction work, where plans often stall. Feasibility studies, environmental assessments and other technical requirements can bring significant costs without guaranteeing a project will move forward. This grant helps reduce these financial risks, allowing congregations to explore non-market housing to meet emerging community needs or as a legacy project during a transitional period.

“By helping congregations in early stages of redevelopment, we can unlock new affordable housing for future generations,” said Mayor Andrew Knack. “This new grant is an example of collaboration and innovation that will bring together local faith groups, the Edmonton Community Foundation and the City of Edmonton to make our city better.”

This new initiative is partially funded with $1 million from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation recently awarded the City of Edmonton an additional $9.6 million to support projects that help remove barriers to housing development.

Affordable housing is operated, funded or created through direct government subsidies. Different types of affordable housing are designed to meet different needs.

Across Canada, about 4,300 churches shuttered between 2009 and 2018, with another 9,000 faith buildings expected to close this decade. Many faith-based organizations own land in established neighbourhoods near transit and other amenities, and also see affordable housing as aligned with their values. Redevelopment can unlock underused land or reduce financial pressures from aging buildings.

“So many congregations see the need for providing safe and affordable homes, but it can be incredibly challenging to know where to begin,” said Reverend Travis Enright, Rector, St. Faith’s Anglican Church. “As a community currently exploring on-site affordable housing, I can tell you that this grant will make it easier to imagine new possibilities.

The City of Edmonton designed the Faith Lands Affordable Housing Incentive in partnership with the Edmonton Community Foundation. In addition to contributing up to $1 million to the program, ECF recently committed $20 million through its Social Enterprise Fund to accelerate development, support acquisitions and preserve Edmonton’s existing affordable housing stock.

“This partnership provides non-profit developers and faith communities with the tools to begin developing long-term, sustainable and affordable housing options for Edmontonians,” said Tina Thomas, CEO, Edmonton Community Foundation. “Together, we can do more to bridge funding gaps and create a stronger, faster system for creating homes in the city.

The incentive program gives congregations flexibility to tailor projects to their own unique situations while facilitating partnerships with non-profit affordable housing providers. A property may be fully redeveloped into affordable housing, or congregations may choose to continue on-site activities or reimagine gathering spaces as community amenities.

“Having worked with two congregations on similar projects, we’ve seen firsthand how well this idea can work in Edmonton,” said Marisa Redmond, Executive Director, Right at Home Housing Society. ”Whether it’s a new development where a congregation may still gather, or a retrofit that builds on existing architecture, this is an incredible way to welcome new neighbours and build community.”

By 2031, Edmonton will need 39,700 more affordable rental housing units, 1,400 to 1,700 supportive housing units and 189 transitional housing units to address the demand for affordable, adequate and suitable housing.

Quick facts
Applications will be accepted from June 1 to December 31, 2026, or until program funds are fully committed. See the program webpage for details.
Successful projects will be eligible to apply for future rounds of the City of Edmonton’s Affordable Housing Investment Program (AHIP), which provides eligible housing developers up to 25 per cent of capital costs and Indigenous-led housing providers up to 40 per cent of capital costs. Applications for the ninth round of AHIP opened today and will be accepted until July 31, 2026.
Affordable housing projects involve government subsidies in exchange for long-term agreements to set rents below market rates for several different models.
One in eight households, one in four renter households and one in three Indigenous renter households are in core housing need, meaning they pay too much for housing or live in crowded or unsafe conditions and can’t afford to move.
Since 2019, the City has leveraged a $270.6-million investment to attract more than $1.38 billion in funding from other orders of government and additional sources to create and renew 6,350 affordable housing units, including 1,093 supportive housing units.
For more information:
edmonton.ca/FaithLands
ecf.ca