The City of Lethbridge is being recognized for its efforts to address housing-related challenges. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge recognized for housing efforts

Nov 24, 2025 | 10:35 AM

The federal government is recognizing the City of Lethbridge and its community partners for addressing housing-related challenges.

In an article about Housing Needs Assessments, it spotlighted the city with a page titled, “Lethbridge steps up: A community-driven approach to housing solutions.”

The government spoke about local initiatives aimed at improving housing affordability and meeting the diverse needs of its residents, “transforming housing challenges into opportunities for inclusive growth.”

“Collaboration is at the heart of Lethbridge’s approach,” reads the write-up from the Government of Canada. “The city is working with non-profits, developers, and other levels of government to align housing efforts with infrastructure planning and community needs.”

The City of Lethbridge says the recognition follows its 2024 Housing Needs Assessment (HNA), which showed that, while progress is happening, many people still face challenges with housing costs and availability.

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Some of the initiatives that have been taken since then that were highlighted by Ottawa include:

• Hope Transitional Housing, run by YWCA Lethbridge, gives shelter and support to women and children escaping violence. With $401,305 in federal funding, and support from the municipal ASHCG, Hope offers 12 beds and shared spaces, along with legal help, therapy, life skills and support for school or work. Since opening in June 2025, it has helped 22 people – three have moved into homes of their own.
• Housing Start-Up Kits, launched by Wood’s Homes in April 2025 with $25,000 in funding, have helped 30 youth move into their first homes. The kits include beds, kitchen tools, cleaning supplies, and gift cards. Many of the youth came from the Emergency Youth Shelter and Opportunity Hub. The kits help them feel ready and supported.

The City says it has supported 10 programs through the Affordable and Social Housing Capital Grant, which it claims will create up to 415 affordable homes.

The feds add that Lethbridge is also improving its response to homelessness by launching a real-time By-Names List of people who are experiencing homelessness. This helps to coordinate services and monitor progress toward stable housing.

Andrew Malcolm, General Manager of Community Social Development with the City of Lethbridge, says the completion of the HNA has given them a clearer, data-driven picture of the community’s housing pressures.

“While housing pressures exist across all income levels, the assessment highlights a significant shortfall in supportive housing units, which are the most complex to deliver due to the need to align funding streams that differ not only in source but also in structure, as capital dollars are long-term, while operating funds are typically short-term and subject to renewal,” says Malcolm.

Calls for proposals continue to be accepted for new local projects that prevent and reduce homelessness.

The federal government also praised the City of Medicine Hat for making “strategic and collaborative moves to tackle housing challenges and build a more inclusive community.”

You can see the full write-ups about both southern Alberta cities here.

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