June 17, 2022
The City of Edmonton is on track to eclipse its four-year affordable housing targets, and new investments will be required to maintain momentum.
Eight reports will be tabled at the Community and Public Services Committee on June 27, setting the stage for fall discussions of the next four-year affordable housing plan. More information is available in
this backgrounder.
“Affordable housing is essential social infrastructure for a safe and inclusive city,” said Christel Kjenner, director of Affordable Housing and Homelessness. “We’ve created real momentum through consistency and predictability, which will make a world of difference to thousands of Edmontonians struggling to keep a roof over their heads.”
The City expects to surpass its 2019-2022 targets of 600 supportive housing units and 2,500 new or renovated affordable housing units overall. The City has already committed to 644 supportive housing units and 2,404 affordable units, renovating another 1,559 units of City-owned social housing. Another 439 affordable housing units expected by year’s end would bring the total to 4,402.
A new Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, to be finalized this fall, notes that one in four Edmonton renter households struggles with affordability and higher than national rates of low-income households. Households with a disability or severe health need, racialized and Indigenous households, as well as seniors and single mothers are particularly at risk.
Three funding scenarios are also being proposed ahead of City Council’s budget deliberations in the fall, including targets of 2,400 to 3,500 new and refurbished units in the next four years.
