A call for action on bringing more affordable housing to Okotoks is setting the stage for a key election issue.
The Okotoks United Church has submitted a letter with 52 signatures from congregation members to town council urging the Town to create an affordable housing committee to help establishing low-income and subsidized homes in town. The church suggested the Town form a committee with one or two council representatives to develop the strategy.
Dean Salter, chair of the ministry board for the Okotoks United Church, said affordable housing was one of the main issues congregation members hear.
“People come to us who have issues all the time around affordable housing and it’s just become an issue,” said Salter.
He said a community growing as the size of Okotoks and, which boasts a large commercial base, should have housing options for those who can’t afford the average home.
The church set up a small working group to learn more about the problem and set about interviewing people with expertise. One of the findings was the Town has no strategy for affordable housing in the community.
“That was a big issue for us,” said Salter. “So we think that’s something we need to do, at a minimum, get in there and establish a strategy.”
Okotoks has fallen behind in affordable housing and needs to get something in place right away, he said.
Lauren Ingalls, CAO for Westwinds Communities, said the need in Okotoks is significant.
There are 24 seniors’ subsidized apartments and 18 low-income units for families as well as nine affordable housing units, she said. Currently, there are 16 seniors waiting for subsidized apartments, 69 families on the waitlist for low-income units, and six families on the list for affordable housing.
“There is a huge need for affordable housing,” said Ingalls.
She said the last report Westwinds brought before Okotoks town council indicated a need for a 1.1-acre parcel of land to build 30 units of affordable housing in addition to 30 units of market rental housing, since no apartments have been built since the 80s.
A lack of available land and water have been major setbacks, she said. In addition, new neighbourhoods being developed like D’Arcy Ranch or Wedderburn don’t have multi-family housing on the horizon for the near future, she said.
She said Westwinds has been disappointed not to receive the same level of support from town council as Habitat for Humanity and Rowan House, which have both recently received assistance from the Town to secure land for building projects.
“We look at Westwinds as having far more reaching implications because we’re providing housing for varied groups and typically have integrated Rowan House clients into our programs,” said Ingalls.
She said the Town had committed to striking a committee years ago, but it never went anywhere.
Affordable housing is a key issue for many candidates in this month’s election.
Coun. Ed Sands said there were underlying issues Okotoks had to overcome years ago when it tried to establish more affordable housing.
First, the Town hadn’t done a census and couldn’t demonstrate population growth properly. In addition, Stats Canada wouldn’t release information on the rental units available in town, because the statistical population of renters was so small, tenants would have been identified if the units had been listed, he said.
“So, Okotoks couldn’t qualify for affordable housing grants,” said Sands. “It was absolutely astounding.”
After a few more years, the Town was able to prove growth via census, and received grant funds, which it assigned to Westwinds Communities (then Foothills Foundation) to establish affordable housing units, he said.
The foundation built seven houses with Excel Homes for low-income families, he said. Now the time has come for more, and Sands said he’s happy to see the United Church lobbying for more affordable housing.
Candidate Laura Schlosser said there is a need for more affordable housing in town. Okotoks is a very expensive place to live, and most homes are single-family houses or condos, without many options for multi-family rentals, she said.
“I’m 100 per cent for getting some diverse development going in Okotoks where we can have affordable housing for young adults, for seniors, for new immigrants coming into the province,” said Schlosser. “I would love to see the little pockets we have all over Okotoks have some revitalization and put those types of developments in.”
There are areas in older neighbourhoods, including downtown, that could work well for affordable housing units, she said.
She said a committee could help push the Town to recognize the need for diverse housing.
Candidate Glenn Stieben was more skeptical, saying he could only support the formation of a committee if there was no financial commitment on behalf of the Town.
There is a definite need for affordable housing in town, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the taxpayer, he said.
“I don’t want to get into something, committed to something, then they come looking for money,” said Stieben. “I have no problem with the Town using their capability to help this committee in any way – put stuff on the web page or in the water bills or what have you, but as far as committing money at this stage – no way.”
