Scarce dollars for affordable housing mean tough choices for city

Even the billions promised for affordable housing across Canada will barely scratch the need here, council heard Wednesday.

But deciding where to put scarce dollars will be difficult. More than 22,000 low-income households spend more than half their income on rent in Edmonton, likely struggling to meet other basic needs, according to the 2016 federal census.

Redeveloping and expanding Edmonton’s social housing stock will help.

But another 916 units of deeply subsidized units with nursing, social work and other supports are needed to meet Edmonton’s goal of ending chronic homelessness, said city officials. Many living on the street today want to stabilize their lives with a roof over their heads, but are waiting for spaces to open.

The $40 billion Ottawa promised across Canada for affordable housing and $1.2 billion promised provincially are barely going to make a dent in the total need.

“We’re just going to scratch the surface of this,” said Coun. Aaron Paquette, before council debated how to focus the limited dollars coming.

Most on council want to make housing for the chronically homeless Edmonton’s priority for housing, because of the pain those individuals suffer. But also because of the damage that the social disorder associated with homelessness does to neighbourhoods and businesses.

“That’s the most acute need. That’s where people are suffering the most, where the spillover effects are the greatest. It’s 100 per cent the right and moral thing for Edmonton to focus on,” said Coun. Michael Walters, who said Southgate mall in his ward is reporting that people are sleeping in the transit centre.

This is the population that easily gets forgotten by other orders of government, who prioritize housing for seniors first and then families, said Mayor Don Iveson. If Edmonton doesn’t prioritize them, no one will. “Because no one stands up for these folk. These units are always the last for consideration.”

But Coun. Ben Henderson worried setting housing for the homeless as the priority may lead the federal or provincial governments to simply shift money again, reannouncing the same dollars but for different units.

Since 2000, the numbers of households needing help with rent has continued to rise, he said. “The message has to be that both of these things have to happen.”

Edmonton only saw 25 new units of housing for the homeless, or permanent supportive housing, built last year, but 36 more were promised in the provincial budget, said Iveson. The city is also working to design five more sites and aims to have an investment plan by this fall.

No one stands up for these folk. These units are always the last for consideration.