Affordable housing in St. Albert got a boost this week after the province announced $1.5 million to fund more projects in the city.
The announcement was made Monday as a part of $278 million in capital funding the provincial government will provide to 39 communities in Alberta this year
The funding is similar to the amount the city received from the province last year under the same grant. Coun. Gareth Jones was pleased to see the provincial government didn’t cut funding amid concerns over the recession.
“I’m glad that we have a similar amount, that’s for sure, because there’s so much to be done with affordable housing,” said Jones, who’s also council’s liaison to the St. Albert Housing Society.
According to the province, qualifying projects will provide housing at least 10 per cent below the local rent rate for a minimum of 20 years after the project is complete.
The provincial money will provide another injection to the city’s ongoing need for more affordable housing for low-income residents.
“It’s not going to solve the problems we have, but it’s a starting point,” said Jones.
At city council on Monday Jones spoke to fellow councillors and administration about the need for more housing for not just low-income families, but also the homeless.
“We have direct homeless and we also have a lot of couch-surfing, which is really homeless, and it’s not just young people. It’s seniors as well.”
The province also made available this year $100 million for housing projects for the homeless, but it’s the $1.5 million the housing society is interested in.
Housing board chair Stanley Haroun was pleased to hear about the additional funding from the province and said the society would apply to the city for a portion of it.
“I think it will help greatly,” said Haroun. “We’re certainly hoping to get more funding from the city and the province … we’re hoping for a chunk of it.”
The society is currently trying to secure a land deal for a 50-unit affordable housing project somewhere in the city.
Last month, the city kicked in $850,000 for the project, bringing its total contribution to $1.7 million.
Once the land for the project is acquired, the society plans to submit a request for proposal to the province for additional funding from its $78 million affordable housing grant.
The society will have to compete against other organizations to secure provincial funding, and that money is needed in order for it to receive the money the city has already set aside for the project.
Nevertheless, Haroun remains confident the proposal to the province will be a success.
“We’re very pleased with the progress to date. We think we will have a winning proposal in place,” Haroun said.
But Monday’s announcement is the last of its kind from the province.
The $1.5 million the city will receive is part of a three-year program that ends this year.
The city’s housing liaison Lorry Scott couldn’t say what administration’s plans are for subsequent years, but the next step is to decide who gets this year’s money.
For Jones, the goal now is to find out what projects the city can fund as fast as it can to answer the city’s need for more affordable housing.
“We’ve got to get this plan in place right now as fast as possible … so all the stakeholders know exactly what’s going to happen next year.”
