70-unit affordable housing project opens its doors
City, provincial, federal governments join forces to launch $13.95-million initiative
Erin Sigaty first started living in an affordable housing unit after giving birth to her special-needs son at age 20. After moving into the unit, she began upgrading her Grade 9 education.
Now, the Parkdale ONE resident is working on her master’s thesis for a degree in art therapy.
Parkdale ONE, an affordable housing project at 8315 113 Ave. co-owned by the City of Edmonton and the province, officially opened near Commonwealth Stadium Wednesday morning.
Sigaty says she owes her success to the ability to access affordable housing in a time of need.
“I couldn’t have done it without the ability to be here. And in this building in particular, this initiative, I don’t have to move again. It’s so nice to be in a beautiful space and feel safe and move on in life,” Sigaty said. “Poverty housing is the first step. It’s the first step. You have to feel safe and be safe before you move forward and make other changes. That’s what it’s done for me and that’s what it does for other people in the building.”
The development contains 70 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Tenants pay rent on a sliding scale corresponding to their income, with residents welcome to remain in their unit at varying rates as their financial situation changes.
The building is currently nearing capacity, with only one unit still vacant. Tenants pay 30 per cent of their gross income as rent if they earn less than the unit’s market or near-market rates.
The provincial and federal governments contributed a combined $13.95 million to the project.
“Affording housing is the cornerstone of building a healthy individual and healthy families,” federal National Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi said after a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “If an individual is given a stable, affordable place to live, they can succeed in life.”
Also present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were Alberta Seniors and Housing Minister Josephine Pon and Greg Dewling, CEO of Capital Region Housing, the company that operates the facility.
Edmonton city council recently lifted a moratorium on affordable housing in five central-Edmonton communities that had been in place since 2012. Though future plans for the communities are not yet concrete, Sohi says he’s pleased that safe and affordable housing can now be built in the city’s core.
“I welcomed the decision by the city council to lift the moratorium and look at how more affordable housing can be added throughout the city, not just specific areas, because needs are spread out around the city,” he said.
The city is expected to release a list of potential locations for new affordable housing projects this fall.
According to Statistics Canada, nearly nine per cent of Edmonton households had a total before-tax income below $25,000 in 2015.