More than 4,300 households in St. Albert pay too much of their income for housing, based on data collected by Stats Canada. That’s more than 30 per cent of a person's annual income spent on household costs.
Those numbers reflect an overall need for more affordable housing across communities in Canada, said Doris Vandersteen, director of the St. Albert Housing Society. But with an average income of about $121,500 in the community, St. Albertans who struggle often fall through the cracks, she said.
To help those in the greatest need, the society is now holding its fifth annual HOMEStyle Breakfast, raising money in support of safe and affordable housing in the community.
“A home should be where we all feel safe and secure and calm and are able to regenerate from a busy day at work and school,” Vandersteen said. “And when the household is at risk of losing tenancy and losing their heat in life, you are unable to focus on the other ways of bettering yourself.”
Vandersteen said the breakfast hopes to yet again raise funds for the society’s HomeConnection Program.
The program provides housing and supportive services for single-parent families with limited incomes, victims of domestic abuse who need to re-establish in a safe environment and seniors living at or below the poverty line.
In September of this year, the society celebrated the opening of Big Lake Pointe, an apartment complex in North Ridge that includes 78 suites offered at reduced rents based on moderate incomes. Some of the suites are paid for entirely by funds raised through the HomeConnection Program.
Vandersteen said Big Lake Pointe was fully occupied within 30 days of the building opening. But the society still has about 500 applications on file, she said – and the number continues to grow.
“Some of (the applicants) grew up in St. Albert and they now have an opportunity to return. Some were already living here and some are new to St. Albert and would just be delighted to be closer to their work and their family support,” she said.
Following the opening of Big Lake Pointe, the society now also hopes to raise more funds for its $1.5 million capital campaign. The campaign pays the mortgage on current housing projects and frees up cash flow for new ones.
Despite new apartment buildings opening up in other parts of St. Albert, local rentals are significantly more expensive than apartments in the Greater Edmonton area, Vandersteen said.
Based on an income of $37,600 (or $19.30 an hour), a one-bedroom apartment should cost no more than $941, she said. But rates for new units, such as a one-bedroom in Water’s Edge in St. Albert’s North Ridge neighbourhood, often start at $1,370 – based on the price of land and construction, she said.
In the long run, she said families dealing with poverty often struggle in their work, school and home life, which affects their self-sufficiency and the performance of their children.
“You really start creating a situation where you perpetuate into generational poverty because of the lack of housing that is within the means of moderate family incomes,” she said.
The guest speaker at the breakfast will by Sylvya Wold. Wold works with the housing authority in Castor, Alberta and is a passionate and popular speaker on the impact and need for affordable housing in communities, said Vandersteen.
The breakfast will take place Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the St. Albert Inn and Suites. Tickets cost $35 per person, with a table for eight selling for $250.
For more information or to buy tickets, go to StAlbertHousing.com or call 780-544-2202.
