NDP seeking all-party committee to address homelessness
By Justin Sibbet - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on June 23, 2023.
Homelessness is on the rise in Lethbridge and the provincial government is being urged to put an end to the crisis.According to a 2022 report by HomelessHub, over 450 people in Lethbridge are experiencing some degree of homelessness.
NDP MLA for Lethbridge-West, Shannon Phillips, has called on the UCP government to make several changes to ensure the homeless crisis is fixed.
“As I talk to more and more people here in Lethbridge, we do have an affordability crisis in the rental market,” said Phillips during a press event on Thursday.
She said the government needs to introduce more affordable housing programs, given the significant problem with the current housing market, and suggested the UCP has failed the community because Lethbridge has seen a doubling of the homeless population since 2019.
“This will only get worse as affordability becomes more and more challenging,” said Phillips, adding there has been “a lack of progress” in Lethbridge regarding the housing crisis.
“Whether it is for the acute homelessness that we see on the streets everyday, through to a lack of transitional housing, a lack of adequate shelter space, a lack of affordable housing options.”
However, Jason Nixon, UCP MLA and minister of seniors, community and social services, said progress is coming in the form of a significant financial boost.
“Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring Albertans in all communities have access to safe, secure, and stable housing,” Nixon said in a written statement to the Herald. “Over the next three years we will spend more than $1 billion on affordable housing. Budget 2023 allocated nearly $235 million over three years for rent assistance.”
Phililips, meanwhile, is calling on Nathan Neudorf, UCP MLA for Lethbridge East and minister of affordability and utilities, to support the NDP’s, to support the NDP’s call for an all-party Legislative committee.
“(The committee would) provide recommendations on housing and on rent. This is an area that affects us all.”
She said the NDP opposition is the largest official opposition in Alberta history, and they won’t settle until action is taken.
“We are serious about ensuring that this government takes real and meaningful action on the housing issue,” said Phillips.
She noted the UCP was silent about the homeless crisis during the recent election campaign that concluded at the end of last month.
But Nixon said that’s not true, and the NDP was responsible for longer wait times in the affordable housing market.
“Unlike the NDP we are getting people in Affordable Housing,” he said. “Between 2015 and 2019 when the NDP was in power the waitlist increased from 11,000 people to 19,400 people. That is a 76-per-cent jump. We are actively working to bring this down and will not take advice from the NDP on housing. Additionally, to help protect renters, legislation is in place that prohibits rent increases during a fixed-term lease, limits rent increases during a periodic tenancy to once every 365 calendar days, and sets notice requirements for rent increases.”
Phillips also took shots at Premier Danielle Smith, and said the UCP campaign during the election was half-hearted.
“We heard nothing from the UCP on housing or really a lot of other topics, given that they just hid the Premier for four weeks and called it an election campaign,” said Phillips. “We did not hear any thoughtful plan from them on how to deal with the increasing numbers of homeless people here in downtown Lethbridge.”
Phillips said the UCP had its chance, with a prime example being a large multi-unit affordable housing complex which is still not yet been completed.
“There has been a 42-unit permanent supportive housing project on the books since we funded it in 2019 … it’s not built … (There’s been all) these excuses from various levels of government, enough with that. Get the 42-unit supportive housing built and quit dilly-dallying.”
Another goal Phillips said she envisions for the proposed all-party committee is an increase in support for non-profit groups in the housing industry.
“We need tax abatements for non-profits on their housing investments … the province can backfill some of that.”
She said the committee can also find ways to better support the housing authority with business planning, reporting, accountability and more.
Wednesday was National Indigenous People’s Day and Phillips chimed in on how she believes now is as important as ever to focus on the links between homelessness and the Indigenous population in Lethbridge.
“We see the vast majority of our homeless population, here in Lethbridge, are Indigenous. We see poverty and inequality affecting Indigenous people disproportionately.”
She said appropriate attention needs to be paid to the Indigenous population and she is going to ensure that awareness is more common.
“I, for one, am not going to sit idly by. I don’t think I was elected to not work for those issues.”
Both Phillips and Nixon said their party will fight for those in need here in Lethbridge. 2
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