Are you looking for affordable housing in Fox Creek?

 

By Laura Bohnert

There are alternatives out there for individuals who are struggling to find affordable housing in and around Fox Creek.

“Heart River Housing delivers safe, affordable housing in 10 northern communities, including Fox Creek, Valleyview, Girouxville, Falher, Donnelly, McLennan, High Prairie, Faust, Enilda, and Grouard,” explains CAO Lindsay Pratt. “We operate within two federal, four provincial constituencies, and 11 municipalities providing homes for over 1000 individuals that have a variety of incomes: AISH, income supports, working families (full or part time), and supportive living for seniors on fixed incomes. We provide corporate services to Lesser Slave Lake Regional Housing & Ridge Valley Senior Homes.”

It all stared in 1995, Pratt explains, when “a major consolidation brought together the majority of the communities. The joining together of 9 small management bodies into one allowed for a stronger voice.” Now, he adds, “The key to our success is our representation from 11 municipalities, which brings a true regional perspective to the table.”

“HRH has a small need for low income family housing,” says Pratt. “The real need is for affordable housing units. The robust economy in Fox Creek has pushed rental prices high.  HRH sees a great need for families in the low to moderate income bracket who are currently being forced to pay more than the CMHC recommended 30% of their income.”

It’s a need that definitely needs to be addressed, Pratt points out: “The most important part of the community is the service industry. Low- to moderate-paying jobs make the community run.  If that part of the community cannot afford to live in Fox Creek, you have no service industry.”

“The crux for me,” Pratt explains, “is that people need help up, not a hand out. That’s what we’ve tried to do. In the past, if people didn’t pay rent on time, it wasn’t a big deal—but you don’t learn life skills that way. We’ve tried to turn the corner and act as much as private sector as we could so it isn’t a shock for people when they do leave Heart River Housing.”

Heart River Housing provides affordable living solutions for those who qualify, but it isn’t intended to be a permanent solution.

“We had to ask a family to leave—on a positive note,” says Pratt. “Five or six years ago, they owed debt around community. We got them into housing that only cost them 30 per cent of their income, a stable environment, and we worked with them a bit on the side on paying debts. They are now debt-free, have gone back to school, and make too much money to stay in program, so they’ve moved on.”

It’s a success story that isn’t uncommon for Heart River Housing. Even the schools have reported a difference in the kids who get into HRH and the stable life it can offer, Pratt explains.

“There are about 25 per cent that we are always going to house, and that’s ok,” Pratt adds. “The aged and those needing more help. The concept is that we are trying to do more than just put roof over people’s heads.”

“We work with RCMP,” Pratt adds. “We are giving a hand up, not a handout, so if people don’t follow the rules, if a unit is dealing drugs, etc., we are proactive in stopping it. The program is about making things best for individuals and their neighbours.”

HRH also offers rent supplement and other programs to help those who are in need of affordable housing.

“You can have too much, but generally speaking, we could have another 20 units in Fox Creek and fill them,” says Pratt. “The other big issue is that the price of renting an apartment or home is so out of line with everywhere else. We’d like to go in and get approval to build an apartment to house middle to lower-end individuals.”

Heart River Housing is also struggling to accommodate the demand for seniors housing.

“Our seniors’ building has a small waiting list,” says Pratt, explaining that HRH offers self-contained one-bedroom apartments for independent seniors. “The biggest issue overall is with seniors and lodges. Seniors are coming later than they used to. They are able to stay in their homes longer, which is a good thing, but it means that now 75 per cent coming in have walkers and their health situation is not as strong as in past.”

“The next level of care,” he adds, “is in Whitecourt or Valleyview, which means, unfortunately, that individuals may have to leave the community—and that means losing supports.”

“Ideally,” Pratt adds, “we would like to have seniors move in when they are a little more active. Our seniors’ housing is designed to be active—we have exercises every day, trips, etc. Right now, people are coming in too late to get the most out of the facility. A number have admitted that they wish they would have come a year ago.”

“Everyone wants to stay home when they can, but that can be lonely,” he continues. “We’d like to get them to move in a little sooner so they can enjoy those years and not have to worry about things like cooking cleaning—all of that is taken care of for them.”

If you are interested in learning more about any of Heart River Housing’s affordable living options, “contact our any of our local offices,” Pratt concludes. “You can find the locations on our website at http://www.heartriverhousing.ca.”