Building contains mix of affordable and market rentals
The head of a Saskatoon non-profit says mixing market and affordable rentals in the same building could ease Saskatchewan's housing woes.
Officials from all three levels of government crowded into an apartment in suburban Saskatoon on Friday to belatedly celebrate the opening of Willowview Heights, polished townhouses on a winding street that include low-cost housing for people with mental and cognitive disabilities alongside market-rate rentals.
National Affordable Housing Corp. CEO Tyler Mathies said it's a fairly unique model in Saskatchewan, but he thinks it makes a world of sense. “It's all or nothing on both ways," Mathies said on market versus affordable housing projects. "It's a little more complex to start blending it. I think there just haven't been examples to follow."
Willowview Heights and a nearby sister development in Aspen Ridge are comprised mostly of market-rate rental homes. Those offset the cost of 14 low-cost units with room for up to 19 people, priced as low as $465 a month.
Mathies said the “sprinkling” of affordable housing helps create inclusive communities. It also bypasses the “not in my backyard” attitude, where some in affluent communities resist affordable housing developments. “It's one big rental project, but we have a blend," Mathies said.
Financing for the two projects, as well as a third development in Regina, came primarily from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. as part of the federal government's National Housing Strategy. Mathies pegged the cost of the three developments at just under $40 million.
The governments of Saskatchewan and Canada also kicked in $460,000 under a joint bilateral agreement.
The units at Willowview Heights are complemented by services from the Canadian Mental Health Association and Inclusion Saskatchewan.
“It really points to the need not just for affordable housing but for supportive housing," Ward 2 city Coun. Hilary Gough said.