Nearly a billion dollars will go to affordable housing across the province over the next decade.

After signing a new deal on Wednesday,  B.C. and the federal government have decided to split the cost over $990 million that will go to repairs and building new social housing and support housing over the next decade, beginning April 1, 2019.

“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home,” said Jean-Yves Duclos, the federal Minister responsible for Canada Mortage Housing Corporation, in a statement.

“Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Today, with the British Columbia government, we have taken a significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Canadians can prosper and thrive, now and for the future.”

Our Government is committed to building more affordable housing in BC and across Canada. #housing #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/TQvaJwMudS

— Jean-Yves Duclos (@jyduclos) June 27, 2018

The federal funding will help support the provincial government’s existing $6.5-billion program to build 114,000 affordable homes over the same timeframe.

Federal funding towards the provincial program comes from the $40-billion national housing strategy announced by the federal government last year. This 10-year strategy aims to remove 530,000 families from “housing need” and create 100,000 new housing units.