St. Albert groups are hoping to share in some affordable housing funding announced by the provincial and federal governments Thursday.
Alberta and Ottawa will combine to inject $386 million into affordable housing programs over the next two years. The province will provide $251 million from its capital plan with the remaining $135 million coming from the federal government. The money is for new and existing social housing and will also help low-income households make needed renovations to their homes.
The province will pool the federal money into its existing programs and will soon open a request-for-proposal (RFP) process, said Alberta Housing and Urban Affairs spokesperson Katrina Bluetchen.
“We would have run the RFP process anyway. We just now have a larger pot of money for communities to share in,” she said.
That’s good news to the St. Albert Housing Society.
“We’re pleased to see that because we’ve been waiting impatiently for the provincial RFP to be announced,” said Stanley Haroun, the society’s board chair.
“We need affordable housing here badly,” he said.
The society is close to nailing down a site for an $11 million, 50-unit apartment building and is ready to write a proposal. In January the city allocated $350,000 to help the society in its efforts to secure a provincial grant. In May the city bumped the commitment to $1.8 million.
Late last year the society learned that it had been unsuccessful in securing provincial money to cover 70 per cent of a $19-million, 72-unit apartment complex.
This time around, the society will once again be seeking about 70 per cent of its project’s cost, Haroun said.
Executive director Doris Vandersteen expects to submit a proposal by September with results expected by the end of the year. She also expects the RFP to draw a lot of interest from across the province.
“We’re working hard to have an excellent proposal to serve the St. Albert community,” she said.
The Sturgeon Foundation is also hoping to take advantage of the funding. The non-profit provides subsidized seniors housing in St. Albert and various communities in Sturgeon County. It is currently building a $12 million, 48-unit addition to its North Ridge Lodge in St. Albert and is eager to apply for a 42-unit second phase.
“I’m excited about all the money that is available for housing but I don’t know just yet what the implications will be for the foundation,” said executive director Marguerite Bosvik.
The foundation also hopes to get moving on various renovations and upgrades that have been deferred, she said.
