More affordable housing needed, councillors told
In 2015, housing corporation saw waiting list triple to 4,500 families
Gary McDonald, a resident with Capital Region Housing Corp. in Edmonton for 45 years, knows how fortunate he is to have a stable home suited for his needs.
“A lot of people in my situation are envious that I was lucky enough to get into such a great place,” he said.
Before McDonald’s family moved in 1971 into a unit near Rundle Park operated by the housing corporation — the largest provider of social and affordable housing in Edmonton — McDonald slept on a pullout sofa on the main floor because he was unable to get upstairs to the bedrooms.
McDonald was born with spina bifida, a condition that affects his spinal cord. He uses a wheelchair.
Once his family moved into an affordable unit with the housing corporation, McDonald never left, and for good reason. He said for people with mobility issues, finding suitable housing is a significant challenge.
“It’s hard. I think it’s even gotten harder over the years.”
The corporation houses nearly 25,000 people in 5,200 subsidized and affordable units in the greater Edmonton area.
But in 2015, while tough economic pressures put funding for affordable housing at risk, the corporation saw its waiting list triple for housing, with about 4,500 families seeking homes.
“Sometimes we just talk about units and rooms and capital investment and so forth. But behind all of that is the people that live and the people that call the buildings we operate home,” said Greg Dewling, the corporation’s chief executive operator said at the release of its 2015 annual report at City Hall.
About 650 units become available each year. While the organization is generally able to get highpriority clients housed within 60 days, others may have to wait two to five years.
“We have a large waiting list, so we do need to grow the number of units that are available,” Dewling said.
Minister of Seniors and Housing Lori Sigurdson said as a former social worker she knows how critical housing is for a person’s well-being, and that organizations can count on the provincial government to be an ally in supporting affordable housing.