WESTLOCK – There is an urgent need for affordable housing in Alberta, Raymond Cormie, chief executive officer for Homeland Housing told Westlock County on March 11.
The province has seen a significant influx of new residents in the last three years from net migration and new Canadians that has compounded the need for affordable housing, he said.
“There is a growing wait list for affordable housing. Currently there are about 36,000 Albertans that are on the wait list for affordable housing.”
Complicating the issue is an affordability gap with incomes not keeping up with inflation, he said, making it especially difficult for younger residents, single-income households, and seniors to afford housing.
In addition, there is an increasing need for mental health and wrap-around support services, said Cormie.
“More and more people are needing mental health and wrap around supports. So mental health addictions is really becoming an emerging trend as well as domestic violence.”
Another issue is an aging population, he said.
“We are expected, by 2040, that the number of seniors in Alberta will double to about a million.”
Coun. Sherri Provencal asked if more affordable housing is planned for rural areas.”
“We have a lot of transition from our rural areas to our little towns. Not everyone can, or afford to, move to St. Albert.”
Cormie said there is definitely a need for affordable housing units in Westlock and area and Homeland Housing hopes to focus on the smaller communities in the future.
“All through all of the jurisdictions we serve, the need for affordable housing is increasing by the day.”
Cormie said the lack of affordable housing is causing a migration of people north of Edmonton.
“Everything is spreading northward.”
Looking to the future, Cormie said Alberta's strategic housing plan, which calls for the construction of 2,500 new affordable housing units annually over the next decade, would result in the addition of 25,000 affordable units by 2035.
