Private Landlords and Social Service Agencies Partner on New Housing Program for Calgary's Homeless

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - July 10, 2013) - With affordable housing limited for Calgary's most vulnerable citizens, the Calgary Residential Rental Association (CRRA) and the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) are partnering to match private landlords with social service agencies trying to find housing for their homeless clients. The goal is to make 500 units available over the next year through the newly formed Community Partnership Housing Program.

"It's a struggle to find safe and affordable housing in Calgary, especially for low-income individuals and families," said Carlene Donnelly, Executive Director at CUPS. "Yet housing is absolutely essential to them gaining stability and not returning to homelessness."

According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation 2013 Spring Rental Market report, which was released in June, the vacancy rate in Calgary was 1.2%. Vacancy rates are expected to get even tighter with the impact of the flood in Calgary.

Given this situation, social service agencies are finding it difficult to find housing for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Eight agencies have signed agreements that will help their clients access limited rental units in the city. These agencies are:

• Aspen Family and Community Network Society
• Calgary Alpha House Society
• CUPS
• Keys to Recovery
• The Alex - Pathways to Housing
• The Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre
• The Calgary John Howard Society
• The Mustard Seed Society

Private landlords are being encouraged to participate in this program because it comes with a number of benefits, including:

• rent assurances
• security deposits paid
• damage coverage beyond the security deposit
• client support for tenants and landlords
• reduced advertising costs
• guaranteed tenants, now and in the future when the market changes and vacancies increase.

Rod Williams, Manager, Properties, Gil Property Management & Sales Ltd. said, "Our company has worked with social housing agencies for years. We welcome this new housing initiative and we are excited to be involved."

The CHF will track the number of units achieved through this program and the satisfaction of all involved.

About the Calgary Residential Rental Association

The CRRA is a non-profit organization that provides a strong voice for the residential rental industry. Members own and manage residential rental properties that range from one to several thousand units, and include apartments, houses, and secondary suites. For more information, visit www.crra.ca.

About the Calgary Homeless Foundation

The CHF leads implementation of Calgary's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in partnership with the homeless-serving agencies, the private sector, government partners, the faith community, other foundations and all Calgarians to end homelessness once and for all. For more information, visit www.calgaryhomeless.com.