Why Edmonton The City’s new Affordable Housing Strategy brings hope for a brighter future

After Marilyn Bird’s marriage dissolved, she sank into darkness.

Far from home and family, the one-time social worker’s situation deteriorated. She struggled with addiction. She was unable to work.

Like many people who experience homelessness, Bird’s struggle was largely invisible. She bounced in and out of housing, couch-surfing when she got evicted. Only when things got really bad did she find herself on the streets with nowhere to go.

As her health declined, she continued to drink. Days became months. Months became years. She felt hopeless.

Here’s Marilyn Bird, a supportive housing resident, sharing her story at City Hall for National Housing Day.#NationalHousingDay #TogetherWeCanEndHomelessness #YEGHousingMonth pic.twitter.com/CAs4hTONPQ

— City of Edmonton (@CityofEdmonton) November 22, 2023

The bigger picture

A situation like Bird’s is complicated, but it’s far from extraordinary. Since the pandemic, homelessness in Edmonton has more than doubled. Today, roughly 3,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Edmonton. About 1,700 of those are provisionally housed, scraping by on short-term solutions like couch surfing.

Take a step back and the picture becomes even more daunting. According to the City’s Housing Needs Assessment, nearly one in eight Edmonton households are in core housing need. This means that their housing costs are more than 30 per cent of gross income, or they’re living in crowded or unsafe conditions. And most importantly, they don’t have the financial resources to move.

A wide demographic of Edmontonians are a payment or two away from homelessness: families or singles, young or old. There are patterns as well. Struggling households are often newcomers or Indigenous, seniors on fixed incomes, or women and children escaping domestic violence. Many of these households include someone living with a disability, a health struggle, or substance use.

How we got here

While need is one side of the issue, costs are another. About one in eight Edmontonians earn minimum wage. At that rate of pay, it takes nearly 60 hours a week to afford an average $1,100 one-bedroom, or nearly 70 for an average $1,300 two-bedroom. That’s not much breathing room when a crisis hits or rents go up.

In the past, governments at all levels built social housing, constructing thousands of units of permanent subsidized housing. Rent was typically tied to household income. There are long waitlists for many of these sites, built between the 1960s and 1980s.

In the 1990s, governments dramatically cut investments in social and affordable housing. But Edmonton and other cities continued to grow. Of the roughly 400,000 homes in Edmonton, fewer than 15,000 are affordable housing built for low or very low income Edmontonians. That’s less than four per cent, roughly a quarter of what’s needed to house the 46,000 Edmonton households currently struggling.

A graphic with numbers related to housing need in Edmonton, including less than 15,000 social and affordable housing units.

A breakdown of the housing supply and housing need from the City’s updated Affordable Housing Strategy.

An Indigenous woman with long brown and grey hair smiles as she sits in her home.

Marilyn Bird in her home.

What the City is doing

Housing need is a top concern and the City has been trying to make up for lost time.

Between 2019 and 2022, the City invested $133 million through its affordable housing investment plan to develop new options for struggling Edmontonians. More than 2,800 new affordable housing units were built or renewed, including 644 units of supportive housing. The City works directly with affordable housing providers, providing logistical support, surplus land, and construction grants.

Every dollar invested has attracted another four from other governments and partners.

There’s considerable range in affordable housing. Near-market rentals are often in mixed-income developments, offering a 20 per cent discount. On the other end of the spectrum is supportive housing, where rent is tied to income and on-site supports are available.

After Marilyn Bird was connected to NiGiNan Housing Ventures, she found her way into bridge housing, then a permanent supportive housing site in Belvedere. She has a beautiful, one-bedroom apartment decorated with art, plants and family photos. She has the cultural, social and medical support she needs. And she has a community where she can find meaning. She’s found her way out of hopelessness.

A new plan and new hope

The City Plan’s goals around homelessness and affordable housing are simple and ambitious. No chronic or episodic homelessness in Edmonton. Nobody in core housing need.

In early 2024, City Council approved a new Affordable Housing Strategy, which will target another 2,700 new or renewed units by 2026. The new federal Housing Accelerator Fund will help achieve this goal by removing barriers to all types of multi-unit housing; its transformational changes are expected to contribute 1,900 units of affordable housing.

There are also strategic plans for other resources so fewer people lose homes in the first place. The City will work with priority populations to build the right kind of housing for their needs. In addition, the City will develop a program to find land for affordable housing. Work will continue to develop different ways to finance housing, while also making sure buildings are climate resilient.

As Edmonton continues to grow, there will be a need for more affordable housing options throughout the city. All governments and community partners need to work together.

For people like Marilyn Bird, these investments will bring hope for a brighter future.