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Affordable Housing Fund

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The image shows Caples Terrace, which provides housing for young people transitioning out of foster care.

The City wants to learn more about your hopes for the future of Vancouver's Affordable Housing Fund. Share your priorities by taking the short survey below.

The City of Vancouver supports safe, affordable housing and services for households with low-income to meet the needs of its residents. City Councilmembers are currently considering asking voters to renew or increase the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) property tax levy.

The current AHF levy was approved by voters in 2016. Funds provide housing supports for residents earning 50% or less of the area median income ($53,250 or under for a family of four). For each dollar collected from taxpayers, the AHF has led to an additional $7 in funding from other sources. This means that taxpayer dollars have helped secure more than $249.6 million in funding since 2017. The levy will end in 2023, unless it is renewed.

Over the past six years, the city has awarded AHF funding to:

  • Build or preserve 1,064 units of affordable housing
  • Support 405 temporary shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness
  • Provide rental assistance and services to 1,654 households, helping people to stay in their homes

The Affordable Housing Dashboard provides more information about funding awards and partner projects. The data and map on the dashboard can be filtered by project type and status. Each project will show the number of units and people served.

Each year, the City also develops an Affordable Housing Fund Administrative and Financial Plan to guide how money is spent. The draft plan for 2024 is currently being edited. Your input in the survey below will also be used to inform the final version of this plan.

Affordable Housing Fund investments are particularly impactful because they help unlock funding from a range of other public and private sources. This money helps to greatly increase the amount of affordable housing preserved and created.

Each $1 invested by AHF attracted an additional $7 in funding, stretching valuable local tax dollars to benefit the most households. Since 2017, the levy has collected $6 million per year from taxpayers ($35.25 million total), while generating more than $249.6 million in additional housing funds.

Because developers use AHF funds to fill hard-to-close budget gaps, AHF funding often makes the difference between whether a local project receives state and federal affordable housing funds or not. This is especially important for securing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which are the lifeblood for housing developments that serve our community's most vulnerable residents.

Despite recent successes, housing affordability in Vancouver is still a challenge for many. Between the pandemic and the rising cost of rent, homelessness is increasing. Vancouver also has a deficit of approximately 5,600 housing units, due to underproduction and strong population growth.

Rising rents are particularly difficult for seniors living with a fixed income or families working service jobs, such as childcare, food preparation, healthcare, administrative support, grounds keeping and maintenance professions. In 2022, WalletHub named Vancouver the 8th worst city in the U.S. to rent a home.

Despite these challenges, the City of Vancouver is committed to helping address our community's housing needs. Please share your housing priorities by taking the survey below.


The City wants to learn more about your hopes for the future of Vancouver's Affordable Housing Fund. Share your priorities by taking the short survey below.

The City of Vancouver supports safe, affordable housing and services for households with low-income to meet the needs of its residents. City Councilmembers are currently considering asking voters to renew or increase the Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) property tax levy.

The current AHF levy was approved by voters in 2016. Funds provide housing supports for residents earning 50% or less of the area median income ($53,250 or under for a family of four). For each dollar collected from taxpayers, the AHF has led to an additional $7 in funding from other sources. This means that taxpayer dollars have helped secure more than $249.6 million in funding since 2017. The levy will end in 2023, unless it is renewed.

Over the past six years, the city has awarded AHF funding to:

  • Build or preserve 1,064 units of affordable housing
  • Support 405 temporary shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness
  • Provide rental assistance and services to 1,654 households, helping people to stay in their homes

The Affordable Housing Dashboard provides more information about funding awards and partner projects. The data and map on the dashboard can be filtered by project type and status. Each project will show the number of units and people served.

Each year, the City also develops an Affordable Housing Fund Administrative and Financial Plan to guide how money is spent. The draft plan for 2024 is currently being edited. Your input in the survey below will also be used to inform the final version of this plan.

Affordable Housing Fund investments are particularly impactful because they help unlock funding from a range of other public and private sources. This money helps to greatly increase the amount of affordable housing preserved and created.

Each $1 invested by AHF attracted an additional $7 in funding, stretching valuable local tax dollars to benefit the most households. Since 2017, the levy has collected $6 million per year from taxpayers ($35.25 million total), while generating more than $249.6 million in additional housing funds.

Because developers use AHF funds to fill hard-to-close budget gaps, AHF funding often makes the difference between whether a local project receives state and federal affordable housing funds or not. This is especially important for securing Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which are the lifeblood for housing developments that serve our community's most vulnerable residents.

Despite recent successes, housing affordability in Vancouver is still a challenge for many. Between the pandemic and the rising cost of rent, homelessness is increasing. Vancouver also has a deficit of approximately 5,600 housing units, due to underproduction and strong population growth.

Rising rents are particularly difficult for seniors living with a fixed income or families working service jobs, such as childcare, food preparation, healthcare, administrative support, grounds keeping and maintenance professions. In 2022, WalletHub named Vancouver the 8th worst city in the U.S. to rent a home.

Despite these challenges, the City of Vancouver is committed to helping address our community's housing needs. Please share your housing priorities by taking the survey below.


  • Affordable Housing Survey

    Your responses to the short survey below will be shared with staff and the City Council. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Vancouver's housing needs.

    Take the Affordable Housing Survey


    Take Survey
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Page last updated: 06 Oct 2022, 01:32 AM