Affordable housing project announced in Regina

Some people in Regina will have a new place to call home.

A three-storey apartment building consisting of 116 affordable housing units — 39 of which are intended for women and children fleeing domestic violence — is being built on Trombley Street in Regina’s east end.

Ahmed Hussen, the federal minister of housing and diversity and inclusion, was in the city for Thursday’s announcement.

“The Government of Canada is investing almost $31 million,” Hussen said. “This is the largest federal government investment in housing through the national housing strategy in recent memory in Regina.

“When completed, the Trombley Street apartment project will add more housing options for people living here. This work is making a lasting positive impact on people’s lives. ”

The building will be owned and operated by the Avana Foundation, a non-profit arm of Avana, a real estate development and property management company based in Regina.

The president and CEO of Avana, Jennifer Denouden, says once the project is completed in the spring of 2023, the City of Regina will set the rent that Avana will abide by.

“We were required to only designate that 39 of the units were affordable, (but) we’ve made the decision that 100 per cent of the project will be affordable,” she said. “But the 39 suites will be specifically earmarked for women and children who have survived partner violence.

“The city bases the cost on median incomes of the province, so they tell us what those numbers are and that’s how we will be renting them.”

A mock picture of what the apartment complex is expected to look like. (Logan Stein/980 CJME)

According to Denouden, there was some significant reasoning that went into choosing land on Trombley Street to go ahead with the project.

“Often affordable or social housing is built in not the most favourable areas of the city because the land is cheaper,” she said. “We really wanted to create a project that could impact families’ lives for generations.

“Trombley is in a new area, there are beautiful parks, brand-new schools, amenities within walking distance (and) public transportation. We already have some affordable housing out there and we’ve seen the impacts.”

Other than the $30.8 million provided by the federal government, $1.9 million in funding and grant money is being provided by the City of Regina for the project.

Denouden says the commitment to funding by other sources shows there is a great need in the city for people fleeing violence to have access to affordable housing.

“This is not going to be the only project like this we see in Regina,” she said. “We have the highest rates per capita of inter-partner violence in Saskatchewan versus the whole country.

“It’s very important that we stand up and we create housing options that they can have as an option to move on with their lives.”

Despite funding by the city and the federal government, Denouden says the company did not receive any support from the provincial government.

“We’ve had discussions with the province every year since we incepted in 2014, and the work we do serving the most vulnerable populations of Saskatchewan is just not quite in alignment for our current conservative Saskatchewan party,” she claimed.

“I will just leave it at that.”

The money presented by the federal government is from the National Housing Strategy. It’s a 10-year, $72-billion plan intended for different affordable housing projects around the country.

Hussen says affordable housing around the country is a big focus for the Canadian government, and it’s something that needs a lot of work moving forward.

“It’s also about stimulating the local economy. These projects will ensure that workers have access to well-paying middle-class jobs,” he said. “Affordable housing is vital to the well-being of Canadians.

“I want to thank our partners. I want to thank all of them for their hard work and the vision of ensuring that everyone in Regina has a safe and affordable place to call home.”