City taskforce on homelessness calls for investment in affordable housing

More than a year after Edmonton declared a homelessness emergency, the City is releasing findings from a new taskforce.

According to the report, over 46,000 Edmontonians currently can’t afford to live in the city, and are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. That number is expected to grow by the end of the decade and push up the number of people experiencing homelessness.

It comes as city council talks about transitioning away from funding supports for the vulnerable that they say should be funded by the province.

“The goal of the taskforce was really to say, ‘Where are there areas where we’re not really working in at this point that could use a little funding or mobilization,'” said Erin Rutherford, Councillor for Ward Anirniq.

The city taskforce on houselessness is calling for a $3.5 million investment in community programs like retrofitting older buildings for affordable housing, along with peer-based supports for those looking to leave homelessness.

Councillor Rutherford believes the State of Emergency allowed the city to move quickly by creating this taskforce and coming up with ideas.

But councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell is standing by his decision to vote against that State of Emergency back in January 2024, believing it damaged relationships with provincial partners.

“I firmly believe this would have happened anyway,” said Cartmell. “Particularly, coming off literally hours off a meeting with a substantial amount of government cabinet and city council, which has not happened since, because we came out in a rather deplorable way, and tried to show them up.”

But the report came on the same day Edmonton city councillors were debating transitioning away from funding homeless supports that are under provincial jurisdiction such as mental health care, addictions, and shelters.

Councillors hearing while the province is investing more in health care and shelter supports for the vulnerable, there is still a gap on spending.

“We’re getting asked by Edmontonians to address property taxes. That $41 million is about the equivalent of a 2 per cent property tax increase. How do we keep funding these things at a time when there’s so much financial pressure? but if we just stopped tomorrow, if we just cut that $41 million out of the budget, there would literally be lives lost because of that,” explained Andrew Knack, Councillor of Ward Nakota Isga.

CityNews reached out to the province for a response on Monday’s discussions at city hall, and the Ministry of Social Services pointed to a $220 million investment into homeless supports. Adding the provincial Navigation and Support Centre in downtown Edmonton — Hope Mission — has served over 6,000 people.

But the ministry added that supporting the vulnerable is a responsibility from all levels of government. Saying, “We fully reject any suggestions that supporting the most vulnerable is exclusively provincial jurisdiction, as all levels of government have an obligation to supporting the most vulnerable.”

City council will discuss the taskforce report next week.