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A place to call home is a beautiful thing. Affordable housing makes home possible.
Everyone deserves a place to feel safe, to be close to family and friends, and to grow.
The City is committed to creating more affordable housing in all areas of Edmonton.
Marilyn lives in supportive housing for Indigenous elders and families.
There she found a community after many years of homelessness and housing insecurity. She is grateful for every day that she can go to the gym, practice her traditions, and create a beautiful home for herself.
Transforming Edmonton: The City’s new Affordable Housing Strategy brings hope for a brighter future.
Barry lived on the streets for more than a decade before moving into supportive housing.
He finds purpose in taking care of his home. In the summer, he stays busy by planting and tending to his garden. In the winter, he volunteers to shovel sidewalks for the building and neighbouring homes.
Angela is a grandmother who waited many years for a spot in affordable housing.
She never thought she would have a backyard to call her own. She keeps a list of her neighbours’ coffee orders for when they come over to visit on the patio she built herself.
Transforming Edmonton: Finding an affordable home was ‘like Christmas’
Affordable housing is operated, funded, or created through direct government subsidies. There are different types of affordable housing to meet different needs:
The City’s Housing Needs Assessment provides the most up-to-date information on housing need in Edmonton.
There are about 15,000 social and affordable housing units in Edmonton as of 2023. They are home to many different types of people, including retirees, newcomers, single-income families, low-wage workers, people with disabilities and people on income support.
The need for affordable housing is widespread and expected to grow.
Right now, about one in eight households (46,155 households) in our city - renters and homeowners, young and old - struggle to cover housing costs or live in unsafe or crowded homes, and can’t afford to move.
By 2031, it’s projected that more than 56,000 households will be in housing need - 1 in 4 of those households will be renters.
Learn more about housing need and how the City is creating more affordable and supportive housing in our interactive dashboard.
Affordable housing providers have their own application processes. Typically, anyone over 18 can apply to live in affordable housing if they are low income and capable of living independently.
Those applying need to provide proof of income and a letter of reference (typically from a landlord). To learn more about available options and eligibility, visit How to Access Housing.
Supportive housing is a home just like any other. It’s a place for people to feel safe, supported and part of a community.
Supportive housing is affordable housing with on-site supports for very low to low income individuals or households.
Residents sign a lease and pay rent, while also receiving financial help, support with life skills, and support services for health and wellness.
Like everyone in our communities, people who live in supportive housing are looking for a home to call their own. They can be referred to supportive housing based on the kind of support they need like medical support, disability services, mental health and addictions support, and other challenges.
Homeward Trust works with Alberta Health Services and supportive housing operators to manage resident referrals, and help place people where they will find the support services they need. To learn more about housing options, visit How to Access Housing.
Every supportive housing program is unique. Each one is designed to meet the specific needs of the people who live there.
Staff may include medical professionals, psychologists, social workers, and support staff who help with tasks like grocery shopping, accessing transportation, and applying for income assistance and other government programs.
No matter the time of day, staff are always on site.
Looking for information about affordable or supportive housing in your neighbourhood?
Research tells us there is no evidence to suggest non-market housing, including supportive housing, negatively affects the value of surrounding properties. A recent study from BC Housing Research Centre suggests that residential real estate values are driven by local and global economic factors, rather than new non-market housing in a community.
At the local level, the factors that impact your property value include things like location, lot characteristics such as size, shape or corner lot, along with how close it is to commercial areas, transit, utilities and green space.
Affordable and supportive housing do not have an impact on neighbourhood crime rates. See Civida Fact Sheet.
Supportive housing has proven to reduce residents’ interactions with police. An analysis of a supportive housing site in downtown Edmonton saw a 46% drop in interactions between residents and police in the 2 years after they moved in compared to the 2 years before.
Residents, staff and neighbours of affordable housing all have a shared interest in maintaining a safe environment.
Affordable Housing and Homelessness, Social Development Branch
18th Floor, Edmonton Tower
10111 104 Avenue NW
Edmonton AB T5J 0J4
If you are calling from outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311
| affordablehousing@edmonton.ca | |
| Phone | 311 |