| After years without an affordable housing policy – a factor contributing to rising rates of homelessness – Calgary finally has a concrete plan to construct a number affordable housing units, and even more may be on the way, says Mayor Dave Bronconnier.
But one of the city’s longest advocates for affordable housing is already warning that the city’s plan will fall short of addressing all the affordable housing needs in the city.
City council approved the implementation of a new affordable housing plan on June 9, clearing the way for 10 projects that will bring the first government-backed low-income units in years to the city.
The plan taps into federal and provincial money made available this year for the first time in a decade. The first project to emerge from the city’s plan will be a 200-unit low-income development being constructed on the site of the old Manchester school in southwest Calgary.
The plan will cost nearly $500,000 over two years, but that money will come from a reserve fund set up for affordable housing, so it will not affect the city’s tax rate.
So far, the city only has provincial funding commitments for the Manchester project because each project is evaluated by the province individually before money is doled out, rather than distributing cash to municipalities based on their population.
Bronconnier says he’s been seeking input from the private sector on ways to make even more units available ,and has plans for a forum on the issue later this year.
"I do believe it’s an opportunity for us, collectively as a council, to bring together other stakeholders – maybe ones who haven’t been involved in affordable housing before," Bronconnier says. "With the number of condos being built right now... maybe there’s an opportunity to acquire some of those at the planning stage.
"These are just some of the ideas coming through my office from the private sector."
Terry Roberts, the executive director of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, says the city’s new plan is a "very impressive effort." He says involving all levels of government in the construction of affordable housing units is essential to the creation of an ongoing plan to tackle homelessness.
"For 10 years, the provincial and federal government abandoned the field of affordable housing... That was a mistake," Roberts says. "I think there are some good projects in the future."
Ald. Bob Hawkesworth, who has long worked to bring affordable housing to the city and was a force behind the city’s new plan, says much work remains to tackle the problem of homelessness, even with the construction of a number of low-income housing units.
"I think we need to be realistic," Hawkesworth says. "There’s a lot more that needs to be done." |
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