Photo 129866460 © Andrii Yalanskyi | Dreamstime.com

By rdnewsNOW staff

Provincial Politics

Province announces help for housing providers to fight inflation

Jan 12, 2024 | 3:37 PM

Alberta’s government has announced it is providing housing providers with a one-time $10-million increase in operating funding to help them continue to house low-income Albertans during high inflation.

As Alberta’s housing providers face higher expenses due to inflation, the government says it is taking immediate action to support them and help keep units open. The additional funding to 87 housing providers throughout the province is expected to help with utilities, staffing, supplies and other housing-related costs, say government officials. This ultimately also helps the more than 108,500 Albertans who currently live in more than 58,600 government-subsidized housing units, officials point out.

“The challenges of inflation continue to be felt by all Albertans,” states Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services. “We’ve heard housing providers loud and clear that they need more support to ensure their units can continue to be safe, stable and affordable places to live for low-income Albertans.”

Government officials say the one-time funding has already been received by the province’s housing providers so they can address their immediate needs. It is said to be in addition to the $165.9 million over three years that Budget 2023 allocated for housing providers to operate family and community housing. Through the Stronger Foundations plan, Alberta’s government says it is supporting $9 billion in housing investments to provide affordable housing for 82,000 more households by 2031.

“Every Albertan is feeling the pinch of rising costs and community housing providers are no exception,” adds Martina Jileckova, chief executive officer, Onward Homes (formerly Horizon and Forward Housing). “These additional funds will go towards keeping rents as affordable as possible and are much welcome during these times.”

Dec. 10

RDP holds pinning ceremony for graduating nursing students

6h ago

get in the car!

Maps for 2025 Red Deer Christmas Lights tour

9h ago

predictable taxation

Chamber calls Red Deer County's draft budget 'disciplined'

9h ago

Alberta government quick facts

• 2023 affordable housing investments:
  • 1,948 units committed to development
  • $110 million committed over three years for capital maintenance and renewal funding
  • $193 million committed for the Affordable Housing Partnership Program
• 2023 affordable housing announcements:
  • Leduc Gaetz Landing – $2 million
  • Blackfoot Family Lodge – $3.4 million
  • Capital maintenance and renewal – $16 million
  • Stepping Stones Crisis Society – $2 million
  • Métis Community Association & Communitas Group – $2.6 million
  • Capital Maintenance and Renewal for Women’s Shelters – $2.1 million
  • Victor Lake Elders Lodge – $1.25 million
  • Affordable Housing for Ukrainian evacuees – $16.7 million
  • Woodland Creek First Nation – $2.2 million
  • Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement – $2.8 million
  • Medicine Hat Community Housing Society – $5.2 million
  • Fort Chipewyan Métis Association – $1 million
  • O’Chiese First Nation – $2.9 million
  • YW Calgary Sherriff King – $2.3 million

“There are over 3,000 people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton and in Calgary alone, 115,000 people are at high risk of homelessness because they can’t afford their current housing,” said Alberta NDP Housing Critic Janis Irwin.

“These Albertans, among many others, are not seeing any results from the UCP to address this housing crisis like the Minister claims,” adds Irwin. “Today’s announcement is one-time funding that will disappear once select affordable housing providers try to catch up on costs and then they will be right back to square one once that money runs out.”

“There are more than double the number of people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Edmonton and Lethbridge than there were five years ago. More than half of Albertans are worried about keeping up with their mortgage or rent, students are reported to be living in their cars because they cannot find housing and seniors on fixed incomes are seeing rent increases of 20, 30 even 50 per cent,” said Irwin.

“On Monday, Edmonton is set to declare housing and homelessness an emergency in the city and the UCP are refusing to be a part of the conversation. I’ll be there on Monday. Why won’t the Minister? We need collaboration and we need all orders of government working together.

“It’s time to treat this like the crisis it is. Step up, Minister.”

—

Download the rdnewsNOW mobile app on Google Play and the Apple App Store for all the latest updates on this and other stories.