Water infrastructure financing program for the construction of affordable housing (FIERH)

Description

The Water Infrastructure Financing Program for the Construction of Affordable Housing (FIERH) supports municipalities involved in the construction of social, affordable or student housing, by financing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure work and the development of resilient and green stormwater infrastructure.

The Water Infrastructure Financing Program for the Construction of Affordable Housing (FIERH) supports municipalities involved in the construction of social, affordable or student housing, by financing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure work and the development of resilient and green stormwater infrastructure.

On this page:

• Presentation and objective
• Eligibility
• Approach
• Accountability

Presentation and objective

The FIERH aims to promote the construction of social, affordable or student housing units, the limited supply of which is a major issue in Quebec, particularly due to the high costs of infrastructure, such as drinking water and wastewater networks.

For program details, please consult the FIERH regulatory framework  (PDF 470 KB) .

Eligibility

Eligible organizations are municipalities, regional county municipalities (RCMs), cities, villages, parishes, townships, united townships and the Kativik Regional Government.

To be eligible for FIERH, municipal infrastructure works must be associated with a reference project.

A reference project is a housing construction project which, in the 12 months preceding the application to the program and after June 26, 2024, has obtained a commitment of financial assistance for the construction of affordable housing from either:

• from a department or agency of the federal government or the Government of Quebec, under a financial assistance program or decree explicitly for the purpose of building social, affordable or student housing – for example, a project financed by the Affordable Housing Program Quebec (PHAQ) of the Société d'habitation du Québec or another of its financial assistance programs;
• a financial assistance program from the Société d'habitation du Québec allowing low-income people to access adequate housing in this project;
• of a municipal body (local municipality, MRC, etc.), in accordance with article 84.2 of the Municipal Powers Act , paragraph 2.

Approach

The Quebec government is implementing the FIERH through calls for projects.

When a call for projects is open, you can submit an application by completing theFIERH Financial Assistance Application Form.

Once the request has been submitted, an acknowledgment of receipt, including your file number, will be sent to you.

You can submit the required documents by responding to this acknowledgment of receipt. You can also use the following link, specifying your file number in the subject line: Transmission of FIERH documents.

It is essential to always indicate your file number when sending documents or any communication concerning your application.

Only applications that are duly completed and accompanied by all required documents will be analyzed.

Accountability

Information to come.

Project monitoring

Recipients of financial assistance must periodically report on current and future expenditures for all work subsidized by the program. Municipalities will be sent an email inviting them to provide the required information.