Josephine Pon, Alberta’s Minister of Seniors and Housing

By Dori Modney with files from Alberta Government

Provincial rent support from $444 million investment in Canada–Alberta housing benefit

Jul 6, 2021 | 4:08 PM

CALGARY, AB. — The Governments of Canada and Alberta will provide rent support to low-income Albertans in need through the Canada – Alberta Housing Benefit.

On Tuesday (June 6) afternoon, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), alongside Josephine Pon, Alberta’s Minister of Seniors and Housing, announced an approximately $444 million investment through the Canada–Alberta Housing Benefit (CA-AB HB) to fund rent support for nearly 35,500 households in Alberta.

The funding will accommodate Albertans with low income between 2019-20 and 2027-28.

Details on the eligibility criteria and benefit amounts for Alberta’s Rent Supplement Program can be found at alberta.ca/affordable-housing-programs.aspx.

Alberta will integrate the funding into its Rent Supplement Program, helping households with low income afford their rent over the lifetime of the agreement. The program features flexibility in housing choice, and includes a long-term benefit for those most in need and a new temporary benefit for working Albertans and those between jobs.

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The Temporary Rent Assistance Benefit, which opened on May 1, provides a modest subsidy to help eligible tenants in Alberta’s seven major centres afford their rent, while they stabilize or improve their situation. The Rent Assistance Benefit, for those with the lowest income, reopened on April 1 following the program review.

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen notes that everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.

“Our Government recognizes the long-standing need for predictable funding for housing in Alberta. That’s why today, we are taking another significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Albertans continue to prosper and thrive, now and for generations to come. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”

Robin James, Chief Administrative Officer, Lethbridge Housing Authority, says his agency is thankful for the investment of $444 million into Alberta’s Rent Supplement Program.

“We look forward to assisting households in the Lethbridge area with a flexible long-term housing benefit as well as providing the Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit to members of our community who are recently unemployed.”

The Canada – Alberta Housing Benefit is part of the 10-year bilateral agreement between the governments of Canada and Alberta, under the National Housing Strategy (NHS). The NHS invests a total of $1.1 billion, cost-shared by the federal government and the Government of Alberta, to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, support Alberta’s priorities related to housing repair, construction and affordability, and provide a portable rent subsidy directly to households.

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