News Release

January 14, 2010

Governments of Canada, Alberta and the City of Edmonton celebrate new affordable housing

Edmonton, Alberta - The Government of Canada, Government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton today celebrated the opening of 31 affordable town home rental units. The project is supported by almost $3.9 million in funding under the Canada-Alberta Affordable Housing Agreement, $836,000 combined funding from the Government of Alberta and City of Edmonton Cornerstones Plan and $1.5 million by homeEd.

Tim Uppal, Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Sherwood Park, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); Janice Sarich, MLA for Edmonton-Decore; Karen Leibovici, Deputy Mayor for the City of Edmonton; and the homeEd Board of Directors launched the grand opening with homeEd tenants, members from the Fraser Community League and the City's Advisory Board on Services for Persons with Disabilities.

"Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, our government is providing Canadians a hand up to those who need it the most," said MP Uppal. "Our government is committed to making communities stronger through projects like this one. These investments in local infrastructure will help create new jobs and stimulate the local economy."

 "Congratulations to all the partners who worked together to support homeEd's Fraser development," said Yvonne Fritz, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. "These 31 town homes are more than just safe and affordable places to live. They are the key to a better life for the families that will call them home."

"Edmonton City Council is proud to utilize Cornerstones investment in the homeEd Fraser development to create affordable rental housing for our citizens. Affordable rental housing is a vital part of the multipronged strategies the City of Edmonton has successfully delivered with all our partners in government, community, non-profit and the private sector," said Deputy Mayor Karen Leibovici, Council Lead on Affordable Housing and Homelessness. "The inclusion of barrier free rental units is an important option and will greatly enhance families' abilities to remain together in a home environment."

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With over 700 units in their current inventory, the Fraser town homes are the first newly constructed units built by homeEd in 16 years. Edmonton City Council has invested $34 million in the Cornerstones Plan that will help create over 2,600 affordable housing units by 2011.

"homeEd has been proudly helping meet the affordable housing needs of Edmontonians for almost three decades," said Terry Loat, General Manager of homeEd. "homeEd is an important part of the innovated affordable housing solutions offered by the City of Edmonton. Through funding partnerships from all orders of government, homeEd is a very successful housing model accommodating a tenant mix of low and moderate incomes."

In 2008, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless.  Canada's Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing, plus up to $2 billion in loans to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure.     

homeEd provides affordable rental units including apartments and townhouses throughout the city of Edmonton.The Fraser development located at 25 Street and 151 Avenue in Edmonton includes 31 units: 26 two-storey, three-bedroom units and five single-storey, two-bedroom, barrier free units. Rental units will be available to families and individuals who earn less that median income and spend more than 30 per cent or more of their income on rent. Barrier free units for persons with disabilities or reduced mobility are also available on a limited basis. Rent for Fraser units will be approximately 25 per cent below market rates. For information on the Fraser development or to view the full range of rental properties, call 780-474-5706 or or visit the City of Edmonton website at www.edmonton.ca.

More information on Canada's Economic Action Plan can be found at www.actionplan.gc.ca.  To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan.

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Disponible en français

For more information visit:     http://www.cmhc.ca

http://www.housing.alberta.ca/

http://www.edmonton.ca/cornerstones

http://www.edmonton.ca/homeEd