Affordable Housing Options in Calgary and Surrounding Area

While those on this website may not be the perfect demographic to discuss affordable housing options, I think that it is still important to talk about the options for any low income individuals and families who may find their way to our website, and to inform those who may be in a position to support low income households, even if it is only with information.

The two major organizations within Calgary, Attainable Homes Calgary, and Calgary Housing, approach the issue of affordable housing from different angles. Attainable Home Calgary is an independent, non-profit organization that is driven by the need for, what they call, “non-market housing.” This means that they are trying to create more housing that is not subject to the forces of the real estate market in order to support low income households and give them comfortable and affordable housing, through both homeownership and renting. Meanwhile, Calgary housing acts more like a property management group, or a landlord, providing below-market rent rates to those in need. However, they also help people obtain subsidized housing, as well as financial support or “rent supplements,” as the website states.

Airdrie also has a program to make housing affordable and comfortable. Like Calgary Housing, Airdrie Housing Limited works as a landlord, with an objective to own a variety of properties, and make them available at a price that is below the current rental market.

For most of these programs, there are qualifications that a household must meet in terms of income. The Airdrie Housing Limited website states that at least 30% of a household’s gross monthly income must be dedicated to paying rent for them to qualify. Almost all related programs have similar requirements in order to be approved.

There are a plethora of reasons why housing has become so unaffordable in, not only Calgary, but Alberta, and most of Canada. Author of “Make housing more affordable: Increase supply,” Mark Milke, discusses the issue in his article. Some of the factors he speculates on are the restriction of land development, migration, and economic boom- especially in the oilfield. When you consider the aspects of development restriction along with migration as a result of the job boom together, it simply comes down to a severe lack of housing within the province. Milke wrote this article in 2016, and we are still facing the same issues almost 10 years later.

All of these organizations and their  methods of tackling the housing crisis in the Calgary-area are viable and helpful, and both of these resources can, and have, helped many people in Calgary. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the government of Alberta has been working on limiting migration into the province, as well as increasing land development and building more homes, faster. While it will take time, we will hopefully see housing of many kinds become more accessible to people of a much wider variety than what we are seeing currently.

References

Attainable Homes Calgary:  AHC - Home - Attain Your Home

Calgary Housing: Home | Calgary Housing Company

Airdrie Housing Limited: Airdrie Housing Limited - Affordable Housing

Milke, M., 2014. Make housing more affordable: Increase supply, Fraser Institute. Canada. Retrieved from https://coilink.org/20.500.12592/k3mqcf on 25 Oct 2024. COI: 20.500.12592/k3mqcf.