Attainable Homes helps Calgarians make ownership dream a reality

Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation celebrated its 800th homeowner on June 7 through its non-profit down-payment assistance program started in 2009.

Launched by the City of Calgary to help retain integral professionals in the city despite a growing housing affordability gap, the program removes barriers for potential homeowners in a variety of circumstances.

Whether it's newcomers to Canada making a fresh start, young couples putting off marriage and children until they own a home, or individuals uncertain they can achieve ownership on their own, the organization has helped ease families into home ownership.

New housing collective seeks group approach to affordability issues

Billed as the first of its kind in Alberta, Calgary's Community Housing Affordability Collective (CHAC) launched earlier this month as a collaborative engine for improving housing affordability in the city.

While a number of local organizations already exist to address barriers to shelter, CHAC is unique is its collaborative approach, said Kim O'Brien, executive director of Horizon Housing Society and co-chair of the CHAC steering community.

From shipping containers to crowd funding

A continuous decline in affordable housing, along with an increase in the populations who need it, is forcing Calgary agencies to seek creative solutions.

"I'm looking for anything that can help us provide housing in a more economical way," said David Watson, president and CEO of Attainable Homes Calgary, a not-for-profit that helps Calgarians at a moderate income level get on the property ladder. "The more ideas we can bring to the table to reduce the costs of houses, the better."

The citywide benchmark price for homes in Calgary in June totaled $455,400, a figure that puts housing firmly out of reach for many vulnerable Calgarians.

Meanwhile, the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the city rose by almost six per cent in the 12 months leading up to April 2015, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.

To address the crisis, Watson's organization is looking at all its options, including repurposing surplus shipping containers from China that are brought in by rail from Vancouver to Alberta. Carstairs-based Blocks Modular, for example, is currently turning the containers into stackable living spaces at a fraction of the cost of traditional homes.

Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHCC) and Mattamy Homes have partnered together to deliver affordable townhomes for ownership at Cityscape.

Mattamy Homes is Canada's largest new home builder, with operations across Canada and the United States. AHCC is a non-profit organization and wholly owned subsidiary of The City of Calgary that works to deliver well-appointed, entry-level homes for Calgarians who have been caught in the city's growing affordability gap.

Two local organizations aimed at helping Calgarians find housing are asking City Hall to further streamline its approvals process to help ease demand.

Fresh off the announcement that Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHCC) had acquired 42 units in north Calgary, company CEO David Watson said the city needs to make things easier for those tasked with creating housing stock.

A pair of Calgary newlyweds became the 250th family to move into a home thanks to Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation (AHCC). Jun Sung Kim and his wife Julia moved into a two-bedroom apartment at Skyview Ranch in the city's northeast.

The two had been looking for a home months before their wedding. Jun said he was devastated by the cost of housing in Calgary and felt renting was the couple's only option before turning to AHCC.