By Tyler Marr

River Bank Development receives funds from feds, province for housing project

Feb 23, 2018 | 4:00 PM

A program to purchase six single family dwellings for large families in Prince Albert has received a boost from the federal and provincial governments.

The River Bank Development Corporation was one of four Saskatchewan organizations to receive a chunk of $4.4 million earmarked to support affordable housing in communities across the province. Projects in Humboldt, Regina and Saskatoon also received a slice of the funding pie. In the announcement Thursday, Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale said more funds are expected to come, as the government’s first-ever National Housing Strategy aims to invest $40 billion over the next 10 years to “reduce homelessness and improve the availability and quality of housing for Canadians.”

The River Bank Development Corporation received $630,500 of the $4.4 million for their project, which Manager Brian Howell said has been ongoing for some time.

“It is a bit of a buyer’s market, so we are able to get good, high-quality houses,” he said. “We are doing basic renovations and renting them to larger families, and families who have trouble finding housing with enough bedrooms.”

Howell said it can be quite difficult to find affordable housing with more than three bedrooms for large families, a key aspect of the River Bank project. He said many of the families the organization has worked with have called undersized dwellings home for some time. Without the assistance, Howell said many local families would spend a disproportionate amount of their income on rent and struggle to afford food, medication and other everyday necessities. 

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“There is a real income issue in Saskatchewan, and Canada in general,” he said, noting around 20 per cent of the population does not have enough money to afford appropriate housing.

“Without projects like this … a lot of families would be struggling,” Howell said.

With funding from River Bank and the government, Howell said home rental is able to drop from a common $1,200 or $1,500 a month price point to around $850. Government funding, however, is not the sole source of contributions for the project. Howell said his organization has contributed about $380,000.

“We at River Bank are borrowing money to make this project happen, and the tenants are paying rent that allows us to pay off the mortgage,” he added. 

River Bank also works with various community partners, he said, including Kids First, Family Futures and the Native Coordinating Council to assist families.

Though finding a family adequate housing is a good first step towards independence, Howell said he would like to see the feds and province step up in other areas. He said addressing the issue of inadequate income across the country needs to be next on the governments’ radar.

“Increases to the minimum wage, social assistance benefits that better reflect the cost of raising a family today, and more employment initiatives for people who are relying on social assistance [are needed],” Howell said, “so people can get some training and find employment and become independent.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr