How we plan to build 20,000 units of affordable housing
across Canada by 2030
We’re not doing it alone! We work with municipalities, local housing non-profits, First Nations, social impact investors, construction contractors and professionals, and citizens who want to see their communities thrive. We believe in decentralization, so we work closely with local partners throughout development, from community engagement to operation.
We are currently developing four projects in Vancouver, Hope and Merritt BC. We have also started discussions with about a dozen municipalities in BC., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. These cities and towns are struggling with historically low vacancy rates and need affordable housing to strengthen their economies and help residents build their lives.
Here are some frequently asked questions
about our privately developed model
of affordable housing:
How long has Anhart been operating?
Anhart Homes and Anhart Community Housing Society are part of a small world network of emergent organizations in operation since 1983.
How did Anhart get started?
In 2013, Anhart was gifted $10 million in real estate equity by BC-based philanthropists.
Where did the name Anhart come from?
Anhart combines letters from the names Anita and Hart Molthagen, two of Anhart’s original social impact investors.
What senior experience does Anhart have in developing affordable housing?
Anhart’s development team is guided by Mukhtar Latif, former City of Vancouver chief housing officer, Ralf Schmidtke, former senior vice president of finance at Polygon Homes and Keith Gordon Wiebe, co-founder of Anhart Community Housing Society and Anhart Homes.
Is Anhart for-profit or not-for-profit?
Anhart is a network of registered charities, community contribution companies, and general and limited partnerships. Controlling shares of Anhart entities are owned by the Anhart Community Housing Society, a charity.
What are Anhart Homes’ general and limited partnerships?
Anhart maximizes services to beneficiaries (customers) while providing negotiated returns on investments to limited partners (investors), by delivering low-cost operations by a committed community-based team (managers).
Is Anhart Homes federally incorporated?
Anhart is a decentralized network of community-based entities which are incorporated separately in each province and territory.
Who are the target beneficiaries of Anhart’s affordable housing?
Most of the Anhart’s housing is designed for low-income seniors and families, people with disabilities and people working entry to mid-level jobs.
Does Anhart charge municipalities a consultancy fees for its services?
Anhart does not charge consultancy fees for any services. Anhart builds affordable homes for local communities using a self-sufficient, benevolent business model.
Does Anhart guarantee funding for every municipality in Canada wanting affordable housing?
Anhart’s projects are privately developed with the cooperation of municipal and provincial governments. No municipal or provincial government funding has been required in British Columbia projects.
How much are municipalities or provincial housing authorities required to pay for Anhart housing development?
Anhart’s projects are privately funded and developed with the cooperation of municipal and provincial housing authorities. No provincial government funding is required.
Does Anhart’s housing require operational subsidies?
No. We operate on a self-sufficiency model.
How does Anhart fund new affordable housing?
Anhart has four ways to access seed funding and construction financing: 1) leverage of its current assets; 2) private investments for seed finding and construction financing; 3) local credit union land purchase financing and seed funding; 4) seed funding and construction financing from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Where is Anhart Homes developing affordable housing in Canada?
Anhart Homes has a self-imposed mandate to develop affordable housing in all 10 Canadian provinces and three territories before 2030.
How many homes will Anhart develop?
Anhart plans to develop 20,000 affordable homes by developing and operating 400 affordable buildings in 100 different municipalities.
Who operates Anhart’s affordable housing?
Anhart’s online property management and tenant services operating systems enable Anhart to operate housing anywhere in Canada, but Anhart prefers to train local operators to take “ownership” through long-term operational agreements.
Does Anhart only develop housing for people of low to mid-income, or does Anhart also create housing for people with acute risks to homelessness?
Anhart started out in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, providing supportive housing to people with complex health and social challenges. As we develop projects across Canada, we can house people with acute risks to homelessness provided local communities can raise enough capital. Additional capital is required to house this population to lower debt service ratios in order to allow for subsidies from operational revenue.
Can Anhart develop affordable home ownership?
Yes. We are currently exploring this model, popular in the UK and San Francisco, for one of our developments.
Whose responsibility is it to obtain funding for Anhart’s affordable housing?
Anhart bears full responsibility for funding.
Does Anhart work with First Nations, Metis or Inuit groups?
Yes. Anhart is partnering with a First Nation in Hope, BC to create a housing organization owned and operated by the First Nation.
Does Anhart operate internationally?
Yes. Anhart’s Global Villages program has provided capital and coaching to help create community-based organizations, enterprising non-profit businesses and health and education infrastructure in DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Newer initiatives are currently being developed in Pakistan, Vietnam, Guatemala, El Salvador and Brazil.