Alberta increases funding for subsidized housing

The province provided an update Tuesday on new funding aimed at strengthening Alberta’s affordable housing system.

The Alberta government says it is giving money to 48 housing providers that operate community housing, and $21 million of that amount is new money. Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services, Jason Nixon, outlined the commitment as part of Budget 2024.

“Alberta’s announcing a historic $21 million increase in operating funding for housing providers to help them manage their rising day-to-day expenses,” he said. “This is an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared to Budget 2023 and will bring the total funding up to approximately $75 million in Budget 2024-25.”

He says those funds will help four dozen low-income housing providers build more homes and battle rising costs.

“Our housing providers will be able to put this money to use in supporting their hardworking staff, covering utilities and routine maintenance, and covering costs associated with unit turnover — processing applications and managing waitlists,” Nixon said. “These are critical operations and services that we simply cannot put on the backburner.”

Right now, more than 110,000 Albertans live in over 60,000 government-subsidized homes, and Nixon says with the cost of living rising, that demand is rapidly growing.

---

---

Following the government’s announcement, Alberta NDP Housing Critic Janis Irwin renewed calls for the introduction of a rent cap.

“Once again, Minister Jason Nixon and the UCP are refusing to listen to facts and listen to Albertans when making decisions that directly affect the lives and livelihoods of people across our province,” she said in a statement. “A temporary rent cap, as proposed in Bill 205, would give immediate relief to Albertans who are at risk of being priced out of their current homes, yet Minister Nixon refuses to listen to their pleas.”

Irwin continued to say there is no evidence that rent caps would decrease supply or slow construction, pointing to Vancouver and Toronto as examples.

She added that Nixon “refuses” to increase rent supplements as needed.

He acknowledged during the announcement the funding does not cover rent supplements.

“We need more supply of housing in the province. We need to also keep people in their current housing and provide them relief from the steepest rent increases in the country that renters are facing here in Alberta.” Irwin said. “The Premier’s petty arguments with the federal government will only further exacerbate the housing crisis by denying municipalities the ability to effectively negotiate for their communities’ needs. The Minister was elected to work for Albertans, not to block access to what they desperately need, housing.”