Research on affordable housing

Affordable housing and homelessness research has been produced by The City of Calgary for many years. The Biennial Count of Homeless Persons was conducted every two years from 1992 to 2008. In 2002, The City turned its attention to understanding housing need in Calgary, which resulted in a series of Research Briefs on Housing Need.

By 2008, Calgary’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness was released and is being implemented by the Calgary Homeless Foundation. One part of the plan involves research coordination and the development of a Homeless Management Information System. As a result, Social Policy & Planning at The City of Calgary is stepping back from its previous role of producing new research on affordable housing and homelessness.

One final major research project was undertaken in the summer and fall of 2011. The 2011 Survey of Non-Market Rental Housing in Calgary surveyed 31 providers of non-market housing in Calgary. Combined, they manage 584 projects that provide 11,759 units of subsidized housing for low-income Calgarians. The findings provide new and significant information on many characteristics of non-market housing in Calgary, which are shown in tables, figures and maps.

Several earlier reports remain relevant and are often used as resources by other governments and community agencies. Links to these are provided below. In addition, research on homelessness can be found on a separate webpage, as can The City’s series of Research Briefs on Housing Need. The Briefs use 2006 federal census data to explore housing affordability (cost), housing adequacy (the need for major repairs) and housing suitability (a measure of crowding). Additional information on the challenges that immigrants continue to face in finding housing can be found on the Diversity webpage.

Brochures

• Cost of Housing at a Glance, 2011 (published 2012)
• Calgary Affordable Housing Vignettes, 2006 (published 2006)
• Straight Talk About Affordable Housing, 2006 (published 2007)

Fast Facts and Research Summaries

• FF-01 – City Definition of Affordable Housing (published 2012)
• FF-04 – Affordable Housing in Calgary (published 2012)
• FF-07 – Facts and Stats on Homelessness and Affordable Housing (published 2007)
• FF-08 – Trends in the Calgary Housing Market (published 2007)
• FF-09 – Factors Affecting Housing Affordability over Time (published 2008)
• RS-01 – Affordable Rent and Ownership Limits, 2011 (published 2012)

Major Research Papers

• Thresholds for Locating Affordable Housing: Applying the Literature to the Local Context (published 2005)
• Affordable Housing Options: Rent and Income Supplements (published 2005)
• Planning for Ethnic Diversity in Calgary (published 2005)
• Trends in Affordable Home Ownership in Calgary (published 2006)
• Housing Experiences of Newcomers to Calgary – Survey Results (published 2007)
• Housing Issues of Immigrants and Refugees in Calgary (published 2007)
• Best Practices in Conducting Counts of Homeless Persons, 1992-2008 (published 2009)
• 2011 Survey of Non-Market Rental Housing in Calgary