Feds contribute $12.5M to build 120 affordable housing units in northeast Calgary

The federal government will contribute up to $12.5 million on specialized and affordable housing complexes for seniors in northeast Calgary, allowing them to "age in place in the neighbourhood they love."

The two buildings that are being built will feature 120 affordable housing units in the community of Temple, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and federal Minister Ahmed Hussen announced at a virtual conference on Wednesday.

The federal funding will be provided through the national housing co-investment fund, with the goal of helping Calgary seniors who have faced increasing living costs and struggled to secure safe spaces to live during the pandemic, said Hussen, minister of families, children and social development.

He is also responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

"Far too many Canadians are forced to make the impossible choice between paying their rent and paying for groceries, and the current pandemic has only made worse the existing housing challenges," Hussen said.

"In a time of crisis, the hardest hit are often the most vulnerable in our communities … and today, we are making it a little bit easier for them."

Central, affordable and accessible, says minister

The two developments — Templemont Care Centre and Templemont Place — are located at 9 Templemont Circle, and will be linked by an underground parkade.

The Templemont Care Centre will have 70 units for seniors and people with specialized housing needs, while Templemont Place will be a 50-unit housing complex for seniors with low incomes, the CMHC said in a press release.

The average rent for the affordable units will be $1,000 a month, Hussen said.

"These units will be central, affordable, accessible and energy efficient, and I'm especially pleased to say that all the units, on average, will be leased at rates below 77 per cent of Calgary's median market rent," Hussen said.

'A really tremendous investment'

The project is being developed and operated by Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta, a non-profit that develops housing for low-income seniors.

It has also received $20 million funding from the province and $354,000 from the City of Calgary.

The adjacent buildings are expected to cost $35 million in total.

Calling Calgary's northeast a "jewel," Nenshi said developments like these will help seniors remain connected to their communities.

"To help elderly people age in place in the neighbourhood they love, where there are doctors to speak their language, where there are stores that they're familiar with, where their kids live nearby, is really a tremendous investment in our community as a whole," Nenshi said. "And so I'm so very, very happy to be talking about this."

Construction is expected to be completed by July.