Homelessness and Affordable Housing
Edmonton is experiencing a homelessness crisis with almost 5,000 people living unhoused. Over 1,000 are youth and more than 50 per cent are Indigenous. Edmontonians are feeling the impact in their communities. I share their concerns. I’ve heard Edmontonians say clearly that we need a leader who will respond with empathetic and decisive action. Without the provincial government’s support for our homeless neighbours, Edmonton is spending more than $90 million each year just to manage the outcomes of inaction.
At the same time, Edmontonians are finding it difficult to pay rising rent and home prices. Over 10,000 people are currently sitting on a waitlist for help with housing. I’m proud that the City of Edmonton has already exceeded its targets for building affordable and supportive housing. But we must go further. We must increase our stock of affordable, social, and permanent supportive housing, and expand prevention programs to meet the needs of our growing city.
Simply put, the solution for homelessness is housing. And Indigenous-led housing and programs are vital to supporting reconciliation. Although it is a provincial responsibility, I will no longer wait to act when lives are at stake. I will lead collaborative action and redirect funds toward proven solutions, improving community vibrancy while helping those in need.
I’ve created a cost-effective plan to address this crisis. My plan to address homelessness has three prongs:
Increase social and affordable housing
Rapid action for urgent needs
Prioritize prevention
Increase social and affordable housing
The cost of housing has risen steeply over the past few years, making it hard for many to make ends meet. As well, Edmonton’s Affordable Housing Strategy shows that we’ll need to provide 1,700 new supportive units and 3,800 new social (deeply subsidized) housing units by 2030 to address the needs of the most vulnerable. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
As Mayor, I’ll ensure the City of Edmonton is doing everything in its power to scale up much-needed affordable, social, and permanent supportive housing. I’ll streamline development and funding processes, I’ll maximize the use of City lands, and I’ll continue to invest in programs that are achieving results. I’ll partner with Indigenous governments to increase Indigenous-led, culturally appropriate housing programs. I’ll empower diverse non-profit housing providers to support innovative solutions. I’ll tirelessly pursue partnerships with other levels of government, but will lead local action within our means regardless.
Increase the supply of affordable housing, permanent supportive housing and deep subsidy housing through continued investment in City grant programs, removing barriers to funding, building capacity for diverse housing providers and providing land.
Leverage federal programs, such as Build Canada Homes, to build more affordable housing, create good jobs in the building trades, foster apprentice opportunities, and support innovation in the construction industry.
Analyze funds being used for the management of homelessness to find where resources can be redirected toward solutions.
Form our City’s first affordable housing development corporation, allowing non-profits to focus on supporting residents instead of the challenges of housing development.
Partner with the Confederacy of Treaty Six, Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, First Nations Governments, and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government as well as urban Indigenous housing providers to increase the supply of Indigenous-led and operated affordable housing.
Work to form a housing acquisition program to preserve affordable housing and help non-profits compete with private developers for existing buildings.
Accelerate transit-oriented development and the redevelopment of Exhibition Lands, delivering thousands of new homes close to LRT and bus rapid transit.
Create a dedicated position and provide resources to empower local co-operative housing development, ownership and management by residents.
Work with other levels of government to ensure decision-makers and programs reflect our multicultural city and its diverse needs, including Halal financing options.
Launch a grant program to offset planning and development costs for affordable housing providers.
Rapid Action for Urgent Needs
Permanent Housing is a long-term solution to homelessness, but faster resources are required to meet the current need for shelter in our city. I will work to provide support for unhoused individuals that can be implemented quicker in order to meet the urgent needs of those living outdoors. And I’ll push to expand solutions for folks who may only need a helping hand for the short term.
Collaborate across private and public sectors to increase the number of day shelters, providing those in need with safe and supportive places to go.
Restore and coordinate outreach teams for high-need areas such as libraries, recreation centres, business improvement areas, and transit centres.
Work with government partners to increase the supply of bridge, transitional, and recovery housing that is integrated with health care and tailored to those most in need, helping rapidly house individuals and families living in encampments.
Press the provincial government to dedicate rent subsidies and placements for people living in encampments to stop the cycle of displacement.
Create permanent hygiene hubs in partnership with the provincial government and maintain an adequate supply of public washrooms, improving health and wellness.
Press the provincial government to provide more smaller-scale shelter spaces in additional areas instead of centralized high-capacity shelters, improving housing outcomes and revitalizing downtown and Chinatown.
Prioritize Prevention
We won’t see a reduction in homelessness unless we also prevent people from falling into it. We must support programs and partnerships that keep people housed. Investing in these supports now is not only the right thing to do, but it also saves us from paying for more expensive services later.
Partner with youth-serving agencies to form and implement a focused strategy to address youth homelessness.
Increase funding for proven solutions including Housing Relocations Teams and Emergency Eviction Prevention programs, as well as centralize support for those at risk of eviction.
Follow local examples by partnering with community leagues and social agencies to better integrate residents in affordable housing into communities.
Advocate to the provincial government to increase the minimum wage and income supports to keep up with the rising cost of living.
