The need for temporary rent assistance is an issue, according to housing experts in St. Albert, despite the city being passed over by the province for the Temporary Rent Assistance Benefit.
“There's many issues with lack of affordable housing here and people struggling — just as there are in other communities. I was speaking [to] a social worker [who] sees what's going on in Morinville and they don't understand the province passing over these communities that have the same issues that the larger cities like Edmonton [have],” said Carol Sloan, operations manager for the St. Albert Housing Society.
In early July, the province, in partnership with the federal government, announced the Canada-Alberta Housing Benefit — worth $444 million in funding — which is expected to help 35,500 households in the province with such programs as the Rent Assistance Benefit and the Temporary Rent Assistance Benefit over a 10-year period.
The difference between the two types of funding is rent assistance is designed for individuals who have an ongoing need for assistance, whereas the temporary benefit is not.
The temporary benefit is a two-year program designed for working or in-between-job individuals who have a higher level of income but a need for temporary assistance because they aren’t making enough money to cover rent or their circumstances, such as rental costs and employment, have changed. People who qualify for this benefit may not qualify for community housing or the rent assistance program.
The problem is, the temporary benefit is only available to Albertan households in the seven major cities, excluding satellite cities such as St. Albert.
Natalie Tomczak, the press secretary for Josephine Pon, the minister of seniors and housing, said the reason why communities such as St. Albert are excluded is the government needs to support those with the greatest need while maintaining the sustainability of the programs.
“The temporary benefit is specifically geared to working Albertans in big cities, as that is where demand is the highest and affordability is the lowest,”
According to data from the province, St. Albert had a population of 69,335 in 2020, making it the ninth highest population in the province. The province also reported the population increased 0.25 per cent year-over-year, and in the last five years the population increased by 4.65 per cent.
Sloan said she sees a need for this type of funding in the community, but the housing society is a small organization that serves around 65 people every year, operating by community donations and grant funding.
The society would like to advocate for more government funding for the city, but the group doesn’t have the same weight as a municipality would have with the province. It is just too small.
“It's important for the municipality to stand up for the community,” said Sloan.
The city appears to have done just that. On July 7, Marnie Lee, a housing specialist, was hired to address housing needs for vulnerable groups and look at prevention strategies for homelessness.
Lee said there is a need for programs such as temporary rent assistance in the city. The city works closely with the St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village and these organizations tell the city what they are seeing.
“The clients that they're seeing — between 62 and 71 per cent of the families that access their services — are spending more than 50 per cent of their income on rent, which is really significant,” said Lee.
What is considered affordable housing in Canada, is when households are spending no more than 30 per cent of their income on their housing needs.
The Community Housing program’s income thresholds for St. Albert for 2021, as reported by the province, are $36,000 for bachelor housing; $41,000 for a one-bedroom; $52,000 for a two-bedroom; $60,500 for a three-bedroom; and $65,000 for any type of housing with a need for four-plus bedrooms.
Incomes below these levels qualify for low-income housing.
According to RentBoard.ca the average rental listings they hosted for St. Albert properties over the last year were $1,130 for a two-bedroom and $1,881 for a three-bedroom property.
If you were a family of five and needed a three-bedroom house, you would need to make $75,240 per year to meet the 30-per-cent affordable housing requirement for a $1,881-per-month property.
Lee said they couldn’t put a number to how many people might be impacted by short-term affordable-rent issues, but with the current economic instability and the pandemic, they anticipate more pressures being placed on families.
She does, however, have plans to advocate for the city.
“A lot of it really is making sure that we're aware of where there are opportunities that we can advocate [for] and being really clear on what the story is in St. Albert,” said Lee.
And that story?
Homelessness here is often hidden, and families who pay a high percentage of their income on rent are more at risk of becoming homeless.
“If they lose a job, or their rent has increased … because they don't have a lot, there's not as much flexibility in terms of how much they're paying their housing … it's a more unsafe [and] unstable situation for them,” she explained.
Lee does anticipate some problems working with the province in creating an awareness about what homelessness and housing issues look like in St. Albert, and also with housing issues in general.
There isn’t a one-thing-to-fix-all solution. Housing issues have to have a multitude of strategies.
But Lee is hopeful.
“We know that stable housing really is a key determinant in the health of individuals and families and community, and so there are significant costs for the community and economy if we're not looking at prevention and addressing homelessness.
“I think it's very encouraging that the city of St. Albert has been looking at this issue and they're committed to making lasting change.”
