Waitlists for affordable housing in Calgary surging

More people are on a waitlist for affordable housing in Calgary than ever before.

A new report suggests the need for affordable housing in Calgary is surging as waitlists grow longer.

The report, published by Calgary Housing, says the number of people applying for affordable housing is up 54 per cent compared to last year, with 7,574 people on the waitlist.

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The waitlist is priority-based, not time-based, which means those facing the greatest challenges are supported first.

Percentage of income paid in rent, living conditions and household circumstances, such as whether a person is experiencing domestic violence, play a role in how soon a family moves up in the queue.

Non-senior single adults face one of the highest wait times, between 521 to 766 days.

According to Calgary Housing, 2,726 single adults are still waiting for housing. The shortage of bachelor and one-bedroom homes in Calgary Housing’s inventory being one of the reasons.

According to Statistics Canada data from 2022, single-parent households are four times more likely to live below the poverty line, compared to two-parent households.

Single parent families make up 32 per cent of the waitlist and although 989 of them have been housed to date, 2,352 are still waiting.

Calgary Housing says single parents face extended average wait times, often exceeding two years for larger homes.

Thirty-one per cent of applicants are employed, 21 per cent are on income supports, 14 per cent are on AISH, nine per cent have no income and 25 per cent list other sources of income.

As more people move to Calgary each day, Calgary Housing says demand will continue to grow.

The organization says it is focused on increasing non-market housing supply and aims to deliver at least 3,000 non-market homes over the next decade.