Lever of Change

Housing

One of the issues facing Calgarians today is the search for affordable housing. The City of Calgary defines a household in need of affordable housing when it earns less than 65% of Calgary’s median income and spends more than 30% of that income on housing costs. According to the City of Calgary's 2023 Housing Needs Assessment:

• 84,600 households are in housing need or 1 in 5 Calgary households cannot afford their housing.
• For those looking to rent, an annual income of $84,000 is needed to adequately afford the average market rent in 2023.

Many conversations are happening around the city because this challenge is solvable. In September 2023 we joined forces with non-profits, groups, and individuals around the city in advocating for the City of Calgary’s housing strategy. We also provided recommendations on the provincial affordable housing strategy.

Around 350 Calgarians become unhoused for the first time each month. VCC wanted to understand how many people were at risk of becoming unhoused and what were the circumstances that brought them there. We partnered with the University of Calgary School of Public Policy to explore these questions. The study How many housed Calgarians are at Risk of Homelessness? estimates approximately 115,000 housed Calgarians living in approximately 40,000 households are at extreme risk of losing their housing.

How does having so many households in core housing need affecting our neighbours, our communities and our families? In January 2024, we shared stories of the struggles many are facing in Calgary's housing crisis.

Rents in Alberta are on the rise and many advocates see rent control as the answer to improve affordability. We continue to examine the issue and, at this time, will not be advocating for the Alberta government to impose limits on rental increases. While we can appreciate the short-term relief rent control may provide, a number of studies conclude that rent controls can lead to decreases in the existing supply of rental units and may deter builders from starting new projects. What Alberta needs urgently is for all governments to direct funding to subsidized housing projects, increase rental subsidies, and implement measures to encourage construction.

Energy poverty can be a never-ending cycling of unaffordable bills, arrears and disconnection, along with the inability or resources to make changes to improve efficiency. A family is in “energy poverty” if 6% or more of its net income is spent on energy bills, or double what the median Canadian household pays on energy. Vibrant Communities Calgary is a member of Alberta's Energy Poverty Roundtable which works to develop solutions to address energy poverty in the Province.

Each lever of change links to one or more of the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Housing links to #37, #74.