Deadline: Currently Closed
The Housing Fix-Up Incentives (HFI) program provides financial assistance to fix up your home or rental property, located in the Spence neighbourhood.
Please read this page in full and read the online application form in full before completing an application. Please note that the approval of applications is contingent on availability of funding.
NEW: We heard you! Interior projects are now eligible under the HFI, including:
Note: Cosmetic interior repairs are not eligible.
Eligible exterior projects:
If your project is not listed here, please contact the SNA Housing Coordinator who will determine if it meets our program requirements.
Note: Landscaping, recreational decks, and improvements/repairs to garages or outbuildings are not eligible. If you are incorporating a garage or outbuilding in your project – for example, putting a new roof on both your home and garage – please get separate quotes for both the home and garage, as SNA will not be able to provide funding for garage improvements.
Note: Successful applicants will be required to pay the entire project cost to the contractor before receiving funds from SNA. SNA will provide reimbursement for the approved incentive amount after payment to the contractor is confirmed, and final documents are provided to SNA. If you are unable to pay the entire amount to the contractor, please speak with the SNA Housing Coordinator.
Rental Projects: Rental property owners can receive up to $2,000 and must contribute a minimum of 50% of the project cost.
Homeowner Projects: Homeowners can receive up to $2,000 and must contribute a minimum of 25% of the project cost. Homeowners at or below the low income threshold must contribute a minimum of 10%.
Example 1:
Example 2:
Homeowner properties now include single family homes, duplexes, triplexes, side-by-sides, or single family homes with a secondary suite. The homeowner must live in the home, or in one of the units in the property being applied for. If they do not, or if the property consists of more than three units, please apply under the Rental category.
How do I apply?
All applicants must check the eligibility of their property before applying for an incentive. Please send the following information to the Housing Coordinator at housing@spenceneighbourhood.org
The Housing Coordinator will confirm whether you are eligible to apply.
We recommend you read through the application form to ensure you have all the information and documents ready before submitting. If you are applying online, you will not be able to save your progress. You can find links to the application under Step 3.
Collect the following documents:
Quotes: Collect at least two quotes/estimates from professional contractors. If you are doing the work yourself, collect quotes from two different hardware stores for the cost of materials, supplies, and equipment rentals (you cannot claim the cost of labour if you are doing the work yourself). Please ensure your name, address, and phone number are written on the quote.
Photos: Take several “before” photos of your project. This could be the part of your house that needs to be repaired, or the area of your yard where a fence will be built. If this is a window or door project, please take photos from both the outside and inside.
Rooming House License: If you are applying to improve a rooming house, you must submit a copy of a current rooming house license.
Proof of Income (optional): If you are applying as a homeowner and you are at or below the Low Income Measure below, you may provide your 2022 CRA Notice of Assessment or Proof of Income Statement (“Option C”) for all household heads earning income.
Qualifying as low income reduces your minimum project contribution from 25% to 10%, and increases your application score, making you more likely to be approved for an incentive.
Household size After-Tax/Net Income
1 person $27,462
2 persons $38,838
3 persons $47,566
4 persons $54,924
5 persons $61,407
6 persons $67,268
7 persons $72,658
8 persons $77,674
9 persons $82,386
10 persons $86,843
Please do not submit an application without collecting all of your required documents first.
Once you have collected all required documents, you will be ready to fill out your application form. We can accept applications online, or in person.
**Deadline: Currently Closed**
Online: Click the appropriate link below. You will have to submit your quotes/estimates, photos, and any other documents separately by email. Your progress will not be saved, so please read through the application first, and have all of your documents ready!
Homeowner Application: https://forms.gle/3ZHTabS1nCexgFLM7
Rental Property Application: https://forms.gle/tVmzaY2QoLu4FXdL6
Submit quotes, photos, and documents to: housing@spenceneighbourhood.org
In-Person: If you require a paper application, and/or to submit your documents in person, please visit our office.
**Please write your name, address, and phone number on all documents**
Location: 615 Ellice Ave. (corner of Ellice & Maryland)
Hours: 9:00am-4:30pm, Mon-Fri, except holidays
Step 4: Approval
Application review: Once submitted, the Housing Coordinator may contact you with questions about your application, and will follow up with the final result after reviews are complete. This may take several weeks after the application deadline.
**Do not begin your project until your application has been approved**
If you begin your project prior to approval, your application may be canceled, and your incentive may be revoked.
Waitlist: If your application is not successful, you may be offered a spot on our waitlist, and may be offered an incentive later in the season if a successful applicant cancels their project. You will not be able to start your project while you are on the waitlist. Waitlists are not carried over to the next year. If the season ends before you receive an offer, you are welcome to reapply the following year, and indicate that you applied the previous year but were not accepted.
Approval: If successful, you will be notified via email and will receive a letter of acceptance by regular mail. If you applied online, you will also be sent an agreement form, which you must return, signed and dated, to the SNA Housing Coordinator within two weeks of approval of your application (paper applications already have this included).
Confirm project timeline: If your project is approved, you will be required to set a project start date and completion date with your contractor, and ask them to provide these dates in writing. You must submit this document to the SNA Housing Coordinator within two weeks of your application being approved. This is to ensure the project is completed within the timeframe of the HFI program, and protect you from disputes with your contractor.
Inspections: Depending on the type of project, SNA may require a third party to inspect the site before your project begins, as well as at various stages of the project, and after the work is complete. The SNA Housing Coordinator will work with you to arrange inspections. You and your contractor will be responsible for obtaining all necessary permits. Both SNA and the Inspector cannot be held responsible for failure to obtain the necessary permits, nor the quality of the work completed. If you have concerns about your contractor, please contact us for assistance.
Begin your project: Once you have submitted your signed agreement form and project timeline, and initial inspections have been completed (if necessary), you can begin your project!
Step 5: Completion
Completion Deadline: All projects must be completed, and final documents submitted for reimbursement were required by October 31, 2023 at 4:00 PM.
When your project is complete, please submit the following documents.
Paid Invoices: Get an invoice from your contractor that shows you have paid for the project in full. Invoices must be stamped “paid” by the contractor, or be accompanied by a receipt proving payment.
Receipts: If you did the work yourself and are only submitting for materials, supplies, and equipment rentals, please submit your receipts from the hardware store(s) where you made your purchases. Please return any unused materials and include the return receipts as well.
Photos: Take “after” photos of the finished work. If this is a window or door project, please take photos from both the outside and inside.
Inspections: If inspections are required, the SNA Housing Coordinator will arrange with you to have the inspection completed.
Documents can be submitted via email, or dropped off at our office. If you submit documents in person, please write your name, address, and phone number on all documents.
Summary of Required Documents
Most applications only consist of:
Additional application documents may include
Once we approve your application, we’ll ask for the following documents:
When your project is complete, submit the following documents:
Questions?
Contact: Cheryl Starr, Housing Coordinator
housing@spenceneighbourhood.org
Ph. 204-881-8556
Additional Resources
You may be eligible for additional rebates through Efficiency Manitoba. For more information, visit:
Spence Neighbourhood Boundary Map
Please contact the SNA Housing Coordinator to ensure your property is within the SNA boundary before you apply.
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