Snapshot of NRH

Since 2002, NRH has acted on behalf of Niagara Region as the Service Manager for affordable housing in Niagara.

What is affordable housing?  Generally, affordable housing is defined as costing no more than 30 per cent of a household’s gross monthly income.

Niagara Regional Housing (NRH) is dedicated to providing and advocating for quality affordable housing in Niagara through a combination of programs and services including:

• Owned units - NRH owns 854 family homes and 1,782 senior apartment units.  Tenants do not pay more than 30% of income on rent
  
  
• Non-profits/Co-operative Housing - NRH provides legislative oversight to 67 non-
  profit and co-operative organizations across Niagara, which own and manage more than 4,000 rental units
  
  
• The Rent Supplement Program – NRH has agreements with more than 100 private landlords for approximately 750 units that are filled from the NRH waiting list
  
  
• The Housing Allowance Program - NRH provides a supplement payment directly to private and non-profit landlords.  The program is intended to provide temporary assistance while the tenant remains on the waiting list for a permanent rent-geared-to-income unit.  This is a five-year program that ends in 2013.
  
  
• Welcome Home Niagara - Provides down payment assistance (5% forgivable loan) to qualified homeowners who would not otherwise be able to afford to own their own home
  
  
• Community Programs - In partnership with community agencies, NRH offers educational and lifeskills programs and assistance, mediation and conflict resolution, crisis management and community support information to help maintain successful tenancies
  
  

We are constantly exploring options to address the shortage of affordable housing in Niagara in order to provide a better quality of life for our entire community.  (See “Did You Know?” for facts on affordable housing in Niagara…)