When oil production was at its peak in Alberta over the last few years, it was difficult, if not to say impossible, for people to find affordable housing or rentals in the community of St. Paul. Now that the region and the province have come down from the highs of a heated economy, and things have cooled down a little, it’s still surprisingly difficult for people on a lower or minimum income to find housing.
It may surprise people to know that an analysis has found St. Paul has one of the highest – if not the highest – needs for affordable housing in the province. Last year, St. Paul Abilities Network received 300 calls for affordable housing, most of whom had to be turned away, with only a minority finding other accommodations.
It’s not just a few units St. Paul needs – it’s dozens. Fortunately, SPAN would like to take the lead on building a $15 to $16 million affordable housing project, that would have as many as 70 units.
The benefits of providing affordable housing are immense, not just to the people who have nowhere to go, but to society as a whole. It’s helping families struggling to make ends meet while still feeding and clothing their kids; it’s about helping seniors on fixed incomes who helped build the country; it’s about supporting a working person with mobility or disability issues; it’s finding a safe place for a single mom so she doesn’t have to take her children back to a home with domestic violence because she has no other options. Many would benefit from this project.
SPAN would like the town to supply the land, and suggested an area alongside 53 Avenue. Understandably, the Town of St. Paul wants to see some other options explored as well to consider, and also, as the mayor points out, because that piece of land is used by the town in winter. Land in town is a valuable commodity. But for the sake of having a convenient place to dump snow, it certainly is too early to dismiss outright of using that piece for an affordable housing project. It would be a vast improvement to a bare and industrial-looking area of town that could do with the beautification and landscaping improvement, particularly alongside the walking trail.
No matter where is chosen as a site for this project, SPAN deserves appreciation for the initiative and legwork they’ve done so far on a project many locals have wanted to see happen for years. It’s one the entire community can, should and likely will rally around.
