August 14, 2000 is the deadline for Homegrown Solutions grants of up to CN$20,0000. Canadians who see a housing need but don't quite know how to meet it may find Homegrown funds are the catalyst to develop an idea or a dream into a housing reality.

Rural and urban community groups across Canada are eligible for this funding program that is designed to help "identify strategies and solutions to respond to local housing need.." Homegrown Solutions encourages Canadian communities to carry out housing demonstrations and share lessons learned in "how to" reports.

This Canadian program is a joint initiative of:

• Canadian Housing and Renewal Association,
• Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada,
• Canadian Home Builders' Association,
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities and,
• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the federal agency which is as close to a national housing department as Canada gets.

Since its creation in 1996, Homegrown Solutions has funded 48 community-based organizations and 21 have since completed their demonstration projects and "how-to" documents. According to Homegrown Solutions, local initiatives have produced or rehabilitated a total of 212 homes in 12 communities across Canada. Other projects have developed new financing models and are establishing trust funds to sustain ongoing local activities in 5 communities.

A National Selection Committee will identify proposals that best meet the Homegrown objectives and award grants of CN$1,000 to enable the groups involved to develop more detailed proposals and work plans for submission in September 2000. Once a group receives their full grant (maximum CN$20,000), it has up to 2 years to put ideas in action and create the "how to" report.

If your organization is interested, simply send Homegrown Solutions a letter (no more than 4 pages long) with details that include:

• a clear, concise description of the idea, housing need it addresses and why it will work
• who will benefit and how they will be involved
• how the project will be relevant to other communities
• team members, resources and sponsoring/supporting organizations

One CN$20,000 Homegrown Solutions grant was awarded to the City of Nepean, an Ontario community near Ottawa, that is committed to building affordable housing without government funding. This grant enables the municipality to prepare an affordable rental housing plan for 4 of the 40 acres it set aside for a Sustainable Neighbourhood Demonstration Project. The plan, designed for implementation by private sector builders and developers, "incorporates sustainability features such as stormwater management, landscape bio-diversity and innovative building types including the integration of commercial operations."

If you see a need for housing in your community and don't know where to start, try Homegrown Solutions to see what ideas other groups and neighbourhoods have come up with.

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