Edmonton struggling to find funds to run specialized housing units for homeless people
CBC
The fate of more than 300 apartment units in Edmonton for people transitioning from chronic homelessness is in limbo since the latest provincial budget has no funding to run new permanent supportive housing projects.
The City of Edmonton asked the province for $9 million a year to help operate the specialized housing, five buildings of which are currently under construction and slated to open this spring.
Two hotels are being converted into permanent housing, for a total of 348 units due to open by June.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he was counting on those operating dollars, the minimum required to run the facilities.
"We will be scrambling to run those or they will stay vacant," Sohi said after the budget was released last week. "That is a tragedy."
Housing agencies, however, are determined to find the money.
Susan McGee, CEO of housing steward Homeward Trust, said the complexes were designed and built specifically for people transitioning from chronic homelessness with mental health and addictions issues.
"We certainly don't envision a future where they're left vacant," McGee said in an interview Thursday. "But it's not going to be easy to make them work, for sure."
Homeward Trust is responsible for securing the money and choosing agencies to operate the permanent supportive housing, which requires staff on site 24/7 to help tenants with a range of services, including mental health and addictions support.
The average complex needs the equivalent of 11 full-time staff, she said, costing about $1 to $1.2 million a year.
She said Homeward Trust is combing through existing programs to see where it can come up with the money.
It may be faced with taking money from programs and projects, such as its Housing First, youth intervention and rental assistance, she said.
It could mean that people who've become homeless may have to wait longer to get help with rent.
"If we have to reduce some of the capacity of that program, it will mean housing slower," McGee noted. "Those are the options that we struggle with certainly, because we have seen such an increase in homelessness."
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