NDP commit to plan for affordable housing and public safety

Rob Miyashiro and Shannon Phillips, the NDP candidates for Lethbridge East and West held a press conference on Friday outlining their plans to improve public safety and add affordable housing to our city. Miyashiro outlined how the party will do that if elected.

“Over the past two weeks, Alberta’s NDP released a comprehensive housing and public safety plan. We will take up our responsibility to build affordable housing. We will reverse the cuts to rental assistance and affordable housing that the UCP have made. We will provide more funding for wraparound services. We have one of the biggest homelessness crisis in Alberta. The last count in 2018 found 223 homeless people in Lethbridge. At the same time, business in the downtown is suffering. People who work here often feel unsafe. People who live here, as Shannon does, often do too.”

Miyashiro told us if elected, the NDP would also provide supportive Indigenous housing for off-reserve individuals in the region. Along with building a 42-unit permanent supportive housing project that has been stalled since 2019.

On March 9th the UCP announced a total of more than 600 new affordable housing units for Albertans. Staff from the party said Alberta’s Affordable Housing Partnership Program is providing $54 million to support 17 projects in nine communities across the province.

For affordable housing in Lethbridge, the only announcement was for $595,000 to the Green Acres Foundation to build apartments for seniors in the city.

Below is a full list of the funding from March 9th:

Calgary region 

·         $11.5 million to Horizon Housing Society to build family and community housing in Calgary

·         $4 million to Rocky View Foundation to build seniors apartments in Airdrie

·         $3.9 million to the Calgary Drop In and Rehab Centre to renovate and modernize units for vulnerable Calgarians

·         $3.3 million to Sarcee Meadows Housing Co-operative Ltd. to retrofit and build new seniors housing in Calgary

·         $1.5 million to the City of Calgary to build family and community housing in Calgary

·         $1.4 million to Airdrie Housing Limited to build affordable housing in Airdrie

·         $680,000 to Silvera for Seniors to build seniors apartments in Calgary

·         $227,000 to Westwinds Communities to build family and community housing in Okotoks

Edmonton region

·         $14.7 million to Meridian Housing Foundation to build seniors lodge units in Spruce Grove

·         $3 million to Catholic Social Services to build housing for women, children and newcomer families in Edmonton

·         $2.3 million to the City of Edmonton to build supportive housing for women and children fleeing family violence in Edmonton

·         $2 million to the Leduc Regional Housing Foundation to build family and community housing in Leduc

·         $900,000 to Right at Home Housing Society to build housing for persons with disabilities, women and children in Edmonton

·         $400,000 to Right at Home Housing Society to build housing for newcomer families and for women and children in Edmonton

Other areas

·         $2 million to Stepping Stones Crisis Society to build housing for women fleeing violence in Cold Lake

·         $1.2 million to Heart River Housing to build seniors apartments in Falher

·         $595,000 to Green Acres Foundation to build seniors apartments in Lethbridge