Throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s the Federal and Provincial Governments, in a response to Canadian demographics and changing social needs, developed a programme called the Private Non Profit Housing Programme.
Sponsors developing housing under this Programme are historically services groups, Churches, cultural and ethnic groups, and later special interest groups. Many projects were developed across Canada. The common denominator being to provide housing to those who were in greatest need based upon Core Need Income Thresholds.

The resulting projects provided “modest” accommodation (as determined by Federal Architectural guidelines) to senior citizens, families, and non-elderly singles. Access is based on a “needs” and “income” basis.

Some Projects were developed with a “Low End of Market Rent” component for households not qualifying for full rental subsidy. In all of these projects, a subsidized rent is based upon the income of the household. For projects developed under the Federal programme rent was based upon 25% of the adjusted total household (later increased by government to 30%). The percentage used varies between 25% and 30% from Province to Province in the Provincially administered programs (Manitoba uses 30%).