64-unit seniors’ community opens in south Lethbridge

“We all know here, not just in Lethbridge, not just in Alberta, but right across Canada, there’s a housing shortage, so whenever we pull a project like this forward, 64 beds, that’s a significant number for Lethbridge,” says Neudorf.

Lethbridge and Region Community Housing Corporation CAO Robin James says there are currently around 600 seniors on a waitlist who are looking for appropriate accommodations in the city.

Mayor Blaine Hyggen adds that one of the most common pieces of feedback he hears from seniors across the city is that there are few available spaces that are available.

“We always need space for seniors so they can age in place and many of them like to do that,” says Hyggen. “I know when we first started looking at this and other projects – it’s been years and years – all the time I’ve been on the board, we’ve been looking into projects like this. To see this actually open today, it’s simply amazing.”

Homes in Southgate offer a mixed-income rental model that bases the price of rent on household income.

James says the “market rate” they are using for these units is currently around $1,250 per month. Residents will be eligible for up to $400 per month in rental assistance.

The total cost to build the Cottages at Southgate was $15.8 million. Funding was provided by various levels of government, private sources, and other organizations.

James says they were able to secure a $4.8 million grant from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) because of their use of solar panels on every building.

“Part of getting the CMHC grant was ensuring we have environmental sustainability,” says James. “With that, the best way to achieve this for our city was to shoot for the stars and that’s what we did. We actually maximized it as high as we could, so as Mayor Hyggen had said, we’re over the 55% reduction in emissions and greenhouse gasses.”

Seniors will start to move into their new homes in Southgate in late August.

Southgate seniors living complex. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

by David Opinko

64-unit seniors’ community opens in south Lethbridge

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