Lethbridge Housing Authority secures funding for seniors housing project

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on July 7, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Work continues on the Cottages at Southgate, a pilot project consisting of 64 units for seniors under construction here. The purpose-built, low-barrier project has 64 units. It's expected to be open for residents in September.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

In her sixth attempt to secure a response from city council in the past year, Robin James finally left council chambers on Tuesday with a smile on her face.
James, the chief administrative officer of the Lethbridge Housing Authority, secured from council one-time funding of $110,000 to offset the 2022 operating costs of an innovative seniors housing project called the Cottages at Southgate.
Scheduled to open Sept. 1 with a planned grand opening in mid-August, Cottages at Southgate is a purpose-built seniors community comprising of 64 units.
James told council the independent senior living project is entirely low-barrier with large bathrooms that can accommodate aging-in-place strategies so 50 per cent are fully handicapped accessible. A portion of those have windows dropped so people in wheelchairs can see out.
All bathrooms have turning radius for walkers and wheelchairs, James told council Tuesday.
The project is within walking distance to grocery stores, doctors offices and part-time work if seniors want it, James added.
The project funding came from various sources including the federal and provincial governments, a private donor and bank financing. LHA reinvested about $1 million of its own money, as well.
Southgate is the first project in the city to be approved under the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation Co-Investment fund.
“This is basically a pilot project for what we hope will be more projects in our community,” said James.
This partnership requires the Housing Authority to provide socially inclusive housing that is mixed-income and mixed use. Fifty per cent are required to be affordable housing with rent set at 65 per cent of the current median rent amounts.
This means half those units must be affordable and have a rent no higher than $520 per month. The other 50 per cent can leverage rent supplements for their remaining affordability, James told council.
So potentially the LHA can keep 100 per cent of the units at affordable rates, she said.
The money that council voted by a 7-2 margin to provide will help offset the costs due to the way CMHC considered project units.
“We’re pretty excited,” said James after the funding was approved.
“They’re on a fixed income, their income is never going to increase once they’ve retired, there’s no supplemental for them that’s available,” said James.
“These properties are required to be at 65 per cent of the median market rent for the City of Lethbridge,” said James. That median rent is $800, according to the CMHC which determined rent on three-row housing which James said the LHA doesn’t consider the units to be.
“We all know you can’t rent a one-bedroom anything for $800 in this city. There’s nothing. Right now, the average one-bedroom is about $1,100. So if we could go 65 per cent of one at $1,100, we wouldn’t be here asking for anything. But because we have to use that $800, that forced us look at some other options just to get rolling,” said James.
Without that one-time funding, those 32 units that will be rented for $800 would have cost residents significantly more, James told council.
All units will be available to singles and couples over the age of 65.
The project is also obligated to have greater than 55 per cent reduction in operating energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
This was accomplished, said James, by installing solar panels, spray foam insulation, triple-pane glass windows and other things.
“We’ve far exceeded the 55 per cent,” she said. In response to a question from councillor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, James said the LHA expects the facility will be operating at zero cost for utilities with the $1.3 million solar system which will reduce operating costs. That system is the largest in the city to date, James said.
Savings due to the solar panels will amount to about $60,000 a year but the LHA won’t know for sure until a year into operation. A gas line was put in as well.
“These properties are required to be at 65 per cent of the median market rent for the City of Lethbridge,” said James. That median rent is $800, according to the CMHC which determined rent on three-row housing which James said the LHA doesn’t consider the units to be.
The presentation prompted concerns from councillors Jeff Carlson and Rajko Dodic. Carlson said he felt council was under the gun to approve the project and asked James if it was in jeopardy without council support while Dodic expressed concerns about council setting a precedent.
“It seems like we’re under the gun here,” said Carlson.
Schmidt-Rempel, who expressed her support for the project, thanked James for her patience with council and said “essentially we’re looking at supporting two innovative projects…one of the largest solar panel arrays in Lethbridge as well as an affordable living facility for seniors. We’re not just investing in one project, we’d be investing in two.”
With the project going online, that will open up 64 more rental units in the city to the public, mayor Blaine Hyggen pointed out during a brief recess.

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