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By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

rapid housing

Red Deer considering whether empty hotels could be used for affordable housing

Sep 26, 2020 | 10:00 AM

Could empty hotels in Red Deer be converted into affordable housing units?

It’s a possibility after the federal government announced this week it’s created a $1 billion rapid housing program, which involves buying hotels and motels for that express purpose. It also says dollars could be used for the acquisition of land and to build modular housing.

The Liberals, who are rolling out the money through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, aim to create 3,000 new units nationwide.

The City of Red Deer is currently looking into its options with community partners, according to Ryan Veldkamp, social planning supervisor, who says they would want to find someone to maintain such a building long-term.

“In 2019, The City of Red Deer had an ad-hoc committee formed to create the Community Housing and Homelessness Integrated Plan (CHHIP),” says Veldkamp. “In our research, we learned that in the affordable rental housing category, about 1,300 units are required at a deep subsidy level, with an additional 1,000 units needed at minimum 10 per cent below market rate.”

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About 1,170 of the 1,300 units Red Deer needs would be for single persons, with 130 for households of two or more. Of the additional 1000 below market rate, 900 are needed for single people, the plan specifies.

The context of that plan, he adds, is to end chronic homelessness, while also providing housing stability to all Red Deerians.

In April, the feds invested $157.5 million into the Reaching Home program. Some of the portion Red Deer received was funnelled into partnerships with Bredon Centre and the Red Deer Native Friendship Centre, which offer one-time rental arrears, partial utility or security deposits, moving expenses and limited furniture or household items.

More recently, the Liberals announced another $236.7 million for Reaching Home to help with COVID-19 emergency response.

“We’re really trying to prevent as many people or divert them from experiencing homelessness in the first place, which is why some additional investment was made to those programs.”

Veldkamp couldn’t say at this time which sites or hotels are currently under consideration for potential rapid housing projects.

Any rapid housing funding Red Deer eventually receives will need to be allocated by March 31, 2021.