Houselessness In The Edmonton Region
As a regional hub, people come to Edmonton from all over our province and beyond to access services. For example, people from across Alberta come to Edmonton to access healthcare, post-secondary education, social services, or other provincial services.
In some cases, someone may come to Edmonton for one of these services but be unable to find appropriate housing or their circumstances change while they are here and they become unhoused. The longer they stay unhoused, the more complex their needs become and their need for comprehensive support, like wrap-around services and housing, grows.
Alberta has the lowest per capita affordable housing in Canada, and Edmonton’s housing needs assessment identified the need to build an additional 1,700 supportive housing units in the next 5 years.
Edmonton also has a higher number of correctional facilities than any other city in Canada. Individuals often complete their sentence and are released without a reasonable support plan to stay housed. I hear stories from community members of these unhoused folks being dropped off in Edmonton when their housing arrangements fall apart, because there is nowhere else for them to go.
I have always said that we need a regional approach to housing and support so that every community has the tools they need to support their residents in their own communities, close to family and friends. That is why I have been pushing hard to include housing as a priority at the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board (EMRB).
Edmonton isn’t alone; municipalities across our country, and across the world, are seeing a rise in the number of unhoused residents. Since being elected as your mayor, I have been advocating both to the provincial and federal government to close these service gaps.
While building affordable housing is shared responsibility, tackling houselessness, substance use, and providing social services are primarily provincial jurisdiction. While the provincial government has recently increased investments, the needs in Edmonton far outpace these critical supports from other levels of government. I urge my regional mayor colleagues to add their voices to our advocacy efforts.
One of the main ways that the province resources municipalities to respond to houselessness is through the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) grant. This grant funding is based on population, not the real needs faced by a community.
Edmonton often uses its FCSS allocation for preventive social service programs for at-risk individuals, including the vast majority of the region’s houseless folks and those facing mental health, addictions and poverty. In contrast, other municipalities are able to use the FCSS grant allocation towards seniors’ services and programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, and other social programs targeting not-at-risk individuals.
In April, I wrote a letter to Premier Smith asking the provincial government to reevaluate Edmonton’s FCSS allocation, as well as other ways that the province can better support Edmontonians. You can read my letter here.
I know that we need collaboration from all levels of government to tackle houselessness, and this Council is working hard to increase our housing supply, especially for affordable housing. In fact, the City of Edmonton is being recognized as an international leader in reducing barriers to building more housing!
City Council has approved many actions that are making it easier, faster, and cheaper to build the housing Edmonton needs. Edmonton has seen over 2,300 affordable housing units built since 2021, and we’re on track to hit our ambitious goal of 2,700 more units by 2026. Because of our efforts, we’ve seen 700+ people housed in the last six months.
I know the City of Leduc is having conversations about their approach to tackling houselessness, and how their response might fit within the Edmonton region. I have spoken with Leduc’s Mayor Bob Young, and continue to have productive conversations with provincial officials to find ways to support unhoused Edmontonians and people in our region.
At the end of the day, we need a regional approach where every community is resourced to support their most vulnerable residents.
