The scheduled expiry of federal programs created uncertainty for co-ops across the country, as those expiries could mean the end of subsidies. Following a sustained campaign from CHF BC, individual co-ops and members, and CHF Canada, the federal government’s Federal Community Housing Initiative (FCHI) included measures to extend support for low-income co-op households.

FCHI – Phase 1 offered temporary supports that targeted low-income households in Section 95 co-ops with operating agreements expiring between April 2016 and August 31, 2020. FCHI – Phase 2 (also known as the Rental Assistance Program) takes over From September 1, 2020 to March 31, 2028. It is open to the former FCHI-1 co-ops and other Section 95 co-ops as their agreements come to a conclusion. Other co-ops may be able to benefit from the Rental Assistance Program as it develops.