Delegation to council discusses need for more local housing, affordable housing solutions

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A public delegation which presented before Town of Strathmore council during the Feb. 5 regular meeting, brought the issue of local affordable housing to the attention of councillors.

“Strathmore is a beautiful, vibrant, growing community. Unfortunately, we do have an affordable housing issue,” said Nell McDonald who presented before council. “Strathmore boasts 10 schools and what feels like a playground every single block. We have programs for children of all ages, and these programs continue to grow and thrive. This attracts a lot of families to the area.”

McDonald described a “desperate” need for affordable housing for families, citing that hers, among many others in town are barely able to afford their rent, despite operating two full-time income households.

She suggested that housing has been an issue in Strathmore for roughly the last decade, particularly as growing costs of living largely outpace wage increases.

“My husband and I, like many families in Strathmore, we both work full time. There is no reason why we should not be able to afford a rental. However, the cheapest one on the market that I can find right now is a two-bedroom for $1,800 a month that is not including utilities,” she said. “Other two-bedroom places are going for anywhere between $1,800 and $2,500 a month and that is not including utilities.”

She explained for many families, commuting to and from Calgary or other municipalities every day for work is simply not an affordable option. 

Adding to the problem, she described a lack of local jobs in town outside of those offering minimum wages or, for those who have obtained post-secondary education credentials, are outside of their respective fields of study.

“It is very frustrating to our family, as well as many others that housing would be the reason that we would have to leave Strathmore … we are spending two thirds of our income on rent alone. With two growing children and with the cost of living increasing, the ability to save any money to buy a house is a pipe dream,” she said. “We need solutions for the lower income families. Commuting to and from Calgary every day for work is not a solution. Some families like mine only have one vehicle. Some families have no vehicle. Most cannot afford to commute.”

For families who can find housing outside of Strathmore that they are able to afford, McDonald added it does not present a fix for the local issue.

A particular emphasis was placed on the requirement for families to pull their children from their schools and into new placement, should they be required to vacate Strathmore in order to find housing within their budgetary constraints.

“This council has worked really hard in the last few years to find more housing and we have three different multi-unit projects in different stages of development,” said Mayor Pat Fule. “We are working toward it; it is in our strategic plan for the rest of our term and we have been all pulling together with our administration and our planning department and infrastructure department.”

As the presentation was considered a delegation, no further discussion or debate was hosted on the topic. The delegation was accepted by council as information.