Twenty St. Albert families could have a chance for a new home and life in 2015, pending the continued success of the St. Albert Housing Society.
The society addressed members of the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon on Wednesday. Board member Kavita Sharma said the society was able to grow its program from helping three to now 10 vulnerable families in the past year.
In the coming year, it’s hoping to double this number, said executive director Doris Vandersteen in an interview following the luncheon.
“We’ve done really well this year in terms of expanding the program. And we are looking at saying that we think it would be a good goal for us in 2015 to work towards supporting 20 families,” she said.
Through its Home Connection program, the society partners with local agencies such as Stop Abuse in Families, the St. Albert Family Resource Centre, the Salvation Army and Transitions to provide housing assistance and support to families in need.
These include single-parent families with limited incomes, victims of domestic violence who need to re-establish a safe home environment and seniors living at or below the poverty line with no savings to draw on.
In the spring of 2013, the society took ownership of 15 units at a reduced price in a new apartment complex – Big Lake Pointe. The units are offered at a reduced price thanks to a joint-venture agreement with Big Lake Pointe, as well as fundraising efforts and government and city grants.
The society is now looking to partner with the owners of other apartment complexes to provide units for families who cannot live in Big Lake Pointe because they require more than two or three bedrooms, said Vandersteen.
“One of the areas we are working on is to provide opportunities to meet the housing needs of families who really need four or five bedrooms. We have several large families we currently are not able to help,” she said.
Vandersteen added that there are many other families in the city whom the society has to turn away because the program is full.
Nonetheless, recognition of the society’s work has grown in past years, she said. Between 2012 and 2013, the society received 15 per cent more in cash donations, or $10,000, she said.
“We received phenomenal support from the community,” she said. “I really feel it’s been a real community endeavour for us as well as other members of the community to understand the challenges people in poverty face.”
At the luncheon, Sharma highlighted that the Home Connection program has already helped two of its original families build the foundation necessary to afford moving into their own home.
Supporting families in need by offering subsidized rent takes pressure off other financial needs, and helps families gain self-sufficiency and helps to stop the cycle of dependency, she said.
“What we have in common is a deep belief and a passion that services such as our Home Connection program should make a lasting difference and help those who become vulnerable either by circumstance, abuse or neglect,” she said. “It’s important that they have a home.”
The society is looking to hold another fundraiser at its next HOMEstyle Breakfast on Nov. 25. The breakfast will be held at the St. Albert Inn & Suites at 7 a.m. For more information email [email protected] or call 780-544-2205.
