Local dignitaries gathered in Leduc, Alta., on Friday to celebrate the grand opening of Gaetz Landing II, a new affordable housing complex that expands on the already-built Gaetz Landing structure in the city south of Edmonton.
“We are so thrilled,” said Margot Hagarty, the executive director of Leduc Regional Housing Foundation. “There’s a housing crisis not only in our region but all across Canada right now. And so adding affordable housing units into our portfolio in the region is just so beneficial.
“There’s just such a need.”
Hagarty said the 24 new units will be filled in just weeks as there is already a waiting list for the residences. She said 12 units will be dedicated to women fleeing violent situations and six units are “accessible.”
She added that the rent is based on a calculation that looks at current market rates for housing and subtracts from that. She said most of the units will currently be just under $700 in rent a month.
Sean Carnahan, the mayor of Calmar, was also at the grand opening. He said the funding for the project was made available by the foundation, a number of municipalities in the area, the provincial government and the federal government.
He said the process began with a provincial housing grant application and that the last piece needed was funding via a federal program. That program required the project to be shovel-ready once it received the money from Ottawa and then to open its doors within 12 months.
“We made the 12 months,” Carnahan said, noting that “Mother Nature was a huge help for us.
“The winter construction season was phenomenal.”
Carnahan noted how affordable housing is needed not just in Leduc but throughout the region.
“The waitlists for affordable housing are massive,” he said. “Our current waitlist here with the housing foundation is north of 140 looking for an affordable place to live.
“We badly need to look at the next expansion. … These waiting lists aren’t going to get smaller.”
The Leduc Regional Housing Foundation provides housing solutions to people in Leduc (and other parts of Leduc County), Beaumont, Devon, Calmar, Thorsby and Warburg.
The housing solutions the organization provides can include affordable housing, supportive living, housing for seniors, community housing and a rent assistance benefit program.
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