From living in a garage to a tent: Calgarians continue to struggle to find affordable housing

Exhausted and unable to find an affordable place to live, Calgarian Daniel Ainsfield rented a garage and decided to live in it.

That was back in July , and now his life is about to get even tougher.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has ordered Ainsfield to vacate the garage, deeming it unfit to live in .

A health order obtained by CityNews said the garage had no plumbing, heating, or washroom facilities. It also said clothing, bedding and food was present, and the truck bed was set up with bedding.

CityNews spoke to the owner of the property, who rented the garage out to Ainsfield, who said he had no idea he was actually living in the garage.

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“I rented [out] the garage for storage,” said homeowner Tesfu Weldemicheal. “Whether he was sleeping or not sleeping I don’t know about that.”

Now, with the garage off the table, Ainsfield is left to figure out what’s next. He’s thinking for the time being, he’s going to pitch a tent somewhere.

Ainsfield used to make good money working in the oilpatch, but a serious injury led him to be on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH).

“I’ve got to get some money together for a motorhome,” he said. “It’s tough — I put myself in this tight bind. But it’s alright, and then I will live in that.”

Another Calgarian who knows the struggle of finding affordable housing is Erin McKinnon.

She moved into a rental with her family in 2021, and was paying $1,200 a month.

This year, her rent went up to $1,400, an increase she says she simply can’t afford. McKinnon just received an eviction notice from her landlord.

“Rent is just absolutely outrageous,” she said, adding she had to resort to bringing in a family friend to the home to help make rent.

“We can’t do this. We are on Alberta Works (income support), and we can’t do this, ” McKinnon said in tears.

As the time ticks before she has to be out, she said she just doesn’t know what to do.

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McKinnon says she and her family are planning to camp outside in the yard until they find a new, suitable place.

The City of Calgary estimates roughly one of five Calgarians can’t afford their housing.

There are currently just over 20,000 affordable housing units in the city, but in order to keep up with current demand, the city says they need four times that — roughly 80,000 more units.

“We see folks struggling for adequate housing across the city in all areas of the city,” said Jeff Chase, director of partnerships at the City of Calgary. “Fundamentally, housing is a human right, and so the city has a plan to support more housing in all neighborhoods of the city to try to alleviate some of the crisis we are in.”

Part of that plan, according to the city, includes advocacy to other levels of government, changes around land use to allow for more housing types and more housing programs. The plan also includes a non-market land sale, which involves city land offered at a discount to encourage investors to build more affordable units.

The Affordable Housing Strategy will be going before the Community Development Committee on Sept. 14, and Chase says the public is welcome to weigh in.

“We are encouraging Calgarians to share their perspectives,” he said. “They can provide written statements, they can present virtually or they can attend in person.”

More information about the Affordable Housing Strategy can be found at calgary.ca/housingstrategy