A private Edmonton developer has received Affordable Housing Investment Program grant money from the city and is turning the old downtown YMCA building into affordable housing.
“There is a critical shortage of housing options for Edmontonians who cannot afford current rents,” Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said. “We need a diversity of housing options, from the deep subsidies for people on income support to rentals that offer a bit of break.
“The city can’t do it alone—we need participation from all levels of government as well as our partners in the private sector.
“I’m thrilled to see housing providers and developers step forward to be part of the solution,” Sohi said.
Beljan Developments will receive $16.7 million in grant funding for Williams Hall, which will offer 90 apartments at a maximum of 80 per cent market rent to low-income young adults entering the rental market.
The Beljan Developments project is one of several grant recipients city officials acknowledged on Monday. Leston Holdings and Jasper Place Wellness Centre also received grant money.
Beljan Developments acquired the building in early 2018, started to repurpose it, by demolishing and removing hazardous materials. Then, the pandemic hit.
“With COVID and some of the challenges downtown has faced, we didn’t feel the time was right to start a development of this size,” Ivan Beljan, CEO of Beljan Development, said.
“As affordable housing became a topic country wide and the state of our downtown was at a low point, it became clear to our team that Williams Hall had a chance to address both these areas.”
The developer pivoted and looked at the city’s program requirements and benchmarks.
Beljan said the company was “beyond delighted” that Williams Hall was selected as grant recipient.
The building is named after the founder of the YMCA. “George Williams, who created the first YMCA in London in 1844,” Beljan said.
Beljan said some of the YMCA’s old features will inform how the new space is recreated. It will likely include a recreation space, a community hall and co-working area. He imagines the main floor will have retail and the floors above will be residential.
The City of Edmonton has a goal of creating 2,700 new affordable housing spaces between 2023 and 2026.
Leston Holdings will receive $9 million toward the construction of a new mixed-market apartment complex in the Edgemont neighbourhood in the city’s southwest. It will include 67 deeply subsidized apartments rented to individuals and families at 50 per cent of market rent, as well as 83 units rented at 79 per cent of market rent.
Jasper Place Wellness Centre will receive $1.15 million to help build three 12-unit buildings in the west Edmonton neighbourhoods of Glenwood and Spruce Avenue for transitional housing for people discharged from Edmonton hospitals without a permanent home.
“This is not enough,” said Murray Soroka, executive director for Jasper Place Wellness. “We need thousands of units of affordable housing in Edmonton — subsidized units like these ones. As a city, we need to come together and focus our efforts — not just city council, but every Edmontonian — to build more affordable housing,” he said.
“The City of Edmonton can’t subsidize the construction of thousands of units of affordable housing that we need. The province of Alberta cannot subsidize thousands of units of affordable housing that we need. The whole province has a crisis on its hands. The federal government can’t subsidize thousands of affordable housing units that we need in this city. They have a national crisis.
“If we think governments are going to solve this problem, they’re not. It’s going to take a concentrated effort from every Edmontonian from every walk of life to solve this crisis.”
Soroka called on faith communities, the business community, individuals, philanthropists, innovators and entrepreneurs to gather their resources and focus their attention on housing.
“Your city needs you and we need to solve this problem.”
The Affordable Housing Investment Program provides grants of up to 25 per cent of capital (construction) costs for new or rehabilitated long-term affordable housing.
“We all know that when families have a safe, high-quality and affordable place to live, our whole society benefits,” Sohi said.
Since 2019, the city has invested $150 million to help create 3,083 units of affordable housing, including 680 units of supportive housing.
Applications for the next round of grants open on Jan. 22, 2024.