Building affordable, co-op, or non-profit housing means navigating a patchwork of federal programs, insurance, and lenders, often at the same time. It is complex, the deadlines and criteria shift, and the stakes for the community are high. We help non-profits, co-operatives, community land trusts, and mission-driven developers make sense of it, structure the financing, and get to a funded project. We act as both your broker and a consultant at the planning table.
Affordable and non-profit housing rarely runs on one program. The right structure usually stacks construction financing, permanent insured financing, and federal funding. The main pieces:
| Program | What it does |
|---|---|
| Apartment Construction Loan Program (ACLP) | Low-cost federal construction loans for purpose-built rental of 5+ units, with high loan-to-cost and rates below conventional construction financing. Designed to flow into long-term insured financing at completion. The program is active and expanded through 2031-32, and now includes student and independent seniors housing. |
| MLI Select | CMHC insured permanent financing with premium discounts and amortizations up to 50 years for projects that commit to affordability, energy, or accessibility. Often the take-out that pairs with an ACLP construction loan. See our CMHC multi-unit guide and estimator. |
| Affordable Housing Fund | Federal funding (low-interest or forgivable loans and contributions) for new affordable housing and the repair or renewal of existing community housing. |
| Co-operative Housing Development Program | A federal program supporting the development of new co-operative housing, the largest such investment in decades. |
| Provincial and local programs | Nova Scotia and municipal programs that can layer with the federal pieces. |
The hard part is the stack, not any one program. Construction loan, insured take-out, and funding each have their own criteria, timing, and underwriting, and they have to fit together. That sequencing is where projects stall, and where having us coordinate the financing pays off.
For community organizations, the value is not just placing a mortgage. It is the guidance to get from an idea to a financeable project. We help you understand which programs you qualify for, model the numbers, sequence construction financing with the insured take-out and any funding, prepare the package lenders and CMHC need, and bring it to the right capital sources across the full market. Many groups doing this for the first time do not have a financing team in-house; we become that team.
Whether you are a non-profit, a co-op, a community land trust, or a developer with an affordable component, bring us in early. We will map the programs, model the numbers, and coordinate the financing so the project gets built. A licensed member of our team will follow up. There is no cost to talk it through.
Talk to us about your projectInformation here is general and educational. It is not financial, legal, or lending advice, an offer of financing, or an approval. We are mortgage brokers. Federal, provincial, and CMHC program terms, eligibility, funding availability, and criteria are set by those bodies, are subject to change and to their review, and depend on the project and supporting documentation. Program participation and outcomes are not guaranteed. Project example described from publicly available information. Confirm current program details with us. TMG HarbourTown Mortgage Inc., Licence #3000145.