Access to Seniors Housing Programs
IT IS THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT Alberta Municipalities advocate for the Government of Alberta to engage Alberta Municipalities, member municipalities, and related organizations in reviewing the Affordable Housing Partnership Program to ensure it supports all sizes of communities throughout Alberta so that seniors can age in place close to support networks.
WHEREAS there is a shortage of seniors housing in small municipalities in rural areas as evidenced by the waitlists that housing authorities in these areas consistently have;
WHEREAS small municipalities in rural areas need independent living housing and lodges to ensure seniors can age in place without being displaced from their community and losing easy access to the support of friends and family;
WHEREAS lack of appropriate housing for seniors in small rural communities transfers costs and service demand to larger municipalities, who have their own capacity challenges;
WHEREAS the Affordable Housing Partnership Program’s current funding structure creates barriers for small, rural municipalities and rural housing authorities to create or add to housing accommodations for seniors; and
WHEREAS the Government of Alberta’s previous funding arrangement enabled municipalities to contribute land and did not require capital contributions.
Provincial changes to the Affordable Housing Partnership Program (AHPP) have limited the ability for Alberta seniors to remain in the communities where they live. There is a trend of seniors being forced to be displaced to other parts of the province in order to meet their housing needs as they age.
The Alberta Housing Partnership Program refers to the program whereby the Government of Alberta will provide one third cost share on projects related to affordable housing and in the context of this motion seniors housing.
With the current split of one third shared costing between the Municipality; the Housing Authority; and the Government of Alberta, the only way a rural housing authority will be able to raise the funds needed to address additional seniors housing development would be to substantially increase the requisition amount paid through property taxes. This would then put an increased financial burden on rate payers across multiple jurisdictions to build a facility in one community.
The purpose of this resolution is to ask the government to engage with Alberta Municipalities, its members, and potentially other related associations such as Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the Alberta Seniors & Community Housing Association, in assessing current programs to support seniors’ housing and develop solutions that ensure housing is built in small rural communities so that seniors can age in place. Potential solutions include adjusting AHPP parameters to consider municipal fiscal capacity along with local housing need.
Many municipalities and housing authorities do not have the financial wherewithal to provide the magnitude of capital investment to add housing availability for seniors. The Village of Stirling, with a population of only about 1,300 people, would be expected to contribute approximately $1.5 million as its one-third funding contribution to a seniors housing project, to be operated by Ridge Country Housing. These dollars do not include the land investment which was already a prerequisite for project consideration.
Ridge Country Housing currently has a wait list of approximately 50 seniors for their lodge facilities, and this does not include waitlists for their independent living units.
The Village of Stirling currently has no seniors housing units available for their senior population. The 2021 Census shows the Village of Stirling having a senior population of 155 people at age 65 years and older; with 60 of those people being aged 75 years to 89 years old.
This problem is not unique to the Village of Stirling, as the Village of Duchess reported the following data from their FCSS Newell Region Quality of Life Study:
- The Village of Duchess has 4 affordable housing units, none of which have accessibility features for wheelchairs or walkers.
- Currently the 10.4% of the Village of Duchess population is comprised of seniors.
- Seniors’ space makes up only 0.0075% of all housing in the Village of Duchess.
Municipalities such as Stirling and Coalhurst have received advice to save their annual Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) Capital allocation to put towards housing. However, LGFF Capital funds face competing municipal priorities, as these funds are used to support a wide variety of projects, from assisting community groups to essential water and road infrastructure. It could take a small community years to save sufficient LGFF Capital allocations to meet the one third cost sharing requirement. For example, the Village of Stirling Stirling’s 2025 LGFF allocation is $428,130, meaning it would take over 3 years to save sufficient funding to cover its contribution. This assumes there that the Village does not need to allocate LGFF Capital funding to any other capital needs in this time.
The lack of available seniors’ housing is preventing seniors from being able to age in place in their own communities and forcing them to seek housing in larger municipalities. This means seniors are moving far away from their social networks and support, putting pressure on services provided in larger centres. As a result, larger communities are covering the cost of developing seniors’ housing that serves seniors who would be better supported in their own communities. Having more access to seniors’ housing throughout Alberta benefits all Alberta communities.
This resolution aligns with ABmunis’ advocacy on increasing access to affordable housing and enabling seniors to age in place.
If this resolution is passed, it will be forwarded to the Government of Alberta for response. Further advocacy will be determined by ABmunis’ Board based on input from ABmunis’ relevant policy committee within the context of ABmunis’ priorities and positions.