About affordable housing
About affordable housing
Great cities are places where everyone can afford to live and work. Housing and housing affordability are foundational to position our communities as inclusive and vibrant, placing Calgary on the map as one of the most livable cities in the world.
To keep pace with very high population growth, Calgary needs to increase and diversify housing options in all communities so Calgarians can find homes that meet their lifestyle, budget, and neighbourhood preferences.
Affordable housing background
A healthy housing system offers a diverse mix of structures to suit a variety of individual and family needs, e.g. apartments, townhomes, single-family dwellings. It includes both rental and ownership properties at market and non-market (subsidized) rates, offering people at all income levels access to safe and stable housing.
Calgary’s housing market is suffering a supply deficit in the non-market (affordable housing) sector. Since 2011, the average increase in new affordable housing units is 308 units per year. To keep up with demand, Calgary needs 2,000 - 2,500 new units per year.
We work with the provincial and federal governments, non-profit organizations and private sector developers to close this gap.
Research and trends
Research on Calgary’s housing system and why research is important to what we do.
More information about Affordable Housing in Calgary
What is the definition of affordable housing?
The City of Calgary defines a household in need of affordable housing if it earns less than 65 per cent of the median income and spends 30 per cent or more of its before tax income on shelter costs.
According to 2021 census data, median income was $98,000, 65 per cent of median income is $63,700.
There are two types of affordable housing offered by The City of Calgary:
- Near market or (or low end of market) housing which includes rentals offered at rates approximately 10% below market rates.
- Subsidized housing which includes several different program types including rent supplements for private landlord units.
What is the difference between affordable housing and housing affordability?
Non-market (Affordable housing) is housing that has some level of subsidy for example, in the form of land, capital or funding to supplement rent or operating costs. Approximately 1 in 5 households fall under the threshold for needing non-market housing. These households cannot afford to rent or buy housing at market prices.
Housing affordability is about the potential purchasing power of prospective homeowners and renters in the market. It means a household can pay for the cost shelter within their income level without having to make significant sacrifices in other basic needs (e.g. food, transportation, medications, basic needs).
Who lives in affordable housing?
Affordable housing serves people in varying circumstances. In a city as diverse as Calgary, it's important to have a wide range of housing options for people at all income levels and stages in life. Our purpose is to support people living in affordable housing and provide them with the platform and support to thrive.
Households in need of, or living in affordable housing include working professionals and families who earn less than estimated $63,700/year (as of the 2021 census), as well as people who require subsidized housing for a variety of reasons, such as age and disability.
Why is The City building affordable housing?
In Calgary, an estimated 84,000 households are earning less than an estimated $63,700 annually (as of the 2021 census) and paying more than 30% on shelter. This means nearly 1 in 5 Calgary households are struggling with shelter costs and 42,000 households are at risk of becoming homeless due to spending more than half of their gross income on shelter costs.
Currently, only 3.5 percent of all housing stock in Calgary is non-market rental.
The City's goal is to increase the supply of affordable housing to ensure people at all income levels can live and work in our city.
How is The City addressing the ongoing need for affordable housing in Calgary?
Building upon the Foundations for Home - Calgary's Corporate Affordable Housing Strategy, Council approved a refreshed strategy to meet current demand and respond to future needs. Because the housing continuum operates as a system and individual components cannot be addressed in isolation, the Home is Here: The City of Calgary's Housing Strategy delivers a variety of actions that will work together to address the complexity of housing and housing affordability.
Housing is ultimately about positive outcomes for people and is foundational to community and economic prosperity. The Housing Strategy positions The City to be more intentional in supporting individual and community wellbeing and improving the housing outcomes of Indigenous people and equity-deserving populations. This will be done by incentivizing the right type of supply to meet their respective needs and by reducing barriers to access housing.
Who manages The City’s affordable housing units?
Calgary Housing (CH) operates City-owned affordable housing. CH serves more than 25,000 Calgarians in more than 10,000 households and provides a variety of mixed-income housing options and has operated affordable housing for more than 40 years.
How do people get into affordable housing?
Many property managers in the affordable housing sector use qualifying criteria to select renters, such as household income. Households on the Calgary Housing waiting list for approximately 3,000 homes are prioritized according to The Government of Alberta's Social Housing Accommodation Regulations (SHAR), which set out a scoring system according to need.
How does affordable housing benefit the community?
At its most fundamental level, affordable housing is about people. Access to safe and stable housing helps create inclusive communities and adds to the overall health, prosperity and safety of our city.
People in affordable housing have greater chances to find and keep jobs, to learn and build skills, and be active participants in their communities.
Affordable housing also helps boost the local economy by increasing the purchasing power of residents and by attracting employers with the promise of a stable workforce.
Keeping vulnerable residents off the streets also helps to reduce demand and pressure on emergency services, hospitals and correction facilities. Providing housing for one homeless person has been shown to save taxpayers $34,000 annually.
How does non-market housing support the economy?
Developing, redeveloping, and maintaining non-market housing creates jobs and supports Alberta’s economic resiliency. Every million dollars invested in housing grows the economy by $1.4 million and generates up to 13 indirect and direct jobs.
Further, investments in housing reduces demand for and pressure on emergency services, hospitals, and correctional facilities. Providing housing for one person experiencing homelessness has been shown to save taxpayers $34,000 annually. The availability of non-market housing for people at lower income levels also supports employers and the attraction of businesses and investment.
How are affordable housing sites chosen?
Affordable housing locations are chosen based on certain criteria such as proximity to amenities including schools, grocery stores and transit.
Council has approved affordable housing going into every Calgary community. Currently, less than 50% of Calgary communities have affordable housing.
What does it cost to live in affordable housing?
Rents in City-owned affordable housing developments are set according to a mixed income model. This helps maintain the financial sustainability of the building and provide an inclusionary approach to housing where tenants of mixed financial means are blended together.
Affordable Housing myths
Myth: My property value will go down if affordable housing is built in my neighbourhood
Reality: More than 100 studies conducted in the US and Canada during the past 30 years show no evidence that property values are impacted by affordable housing developments. The City of Calgary does not consider the proximity of affordable housing in property tax assessments.
Myth: Crime in my neighbourhood will increase
Reality: Canadian studies have similar findings as research conducted in the US and other countries that crime rates in the neighbourhood are unaffected by the existence of the supportive housing buildings.
Myth: New residents won’t fit into the neighbourhood
Reality: Often, the future occupants of new affordable housing already live in or near the neighbourhood. They are people sharing housing with other family members or friends, or struggling to pay market rent by giving up meals or having to walk because they cannot afford transit fares. Complete communities provide housing opportunities for all.
Myth: Affordable housing design won’t fit with the neighbourhood / units will be an eyesore
Reality: Affordable housing must comply with the same building restrictions and design standards as market-rate housing, which includes fitting the character of the neighbourhood.