The City of Red Deer will not be subsidizing rent at Asooahum Crossing, an affordable housing complex where 12 of 16 units are currently empty.

Council denied a $50,000 request from the Red Deer Housing Authority and Red Deer Native Friendship Society for a one-time rent supplement program to fill those spaces. The vote was 8-1, with Coun. Ken Johnston voting against the motion by Coun. Lawrence Lee.

Rent subsidies are a provincial and federal responsibility and Lee said their continued support after such a program was not guaranteed.

“As you can imagine, if they weren’t able to do that, the city would be put in a real tough position of saying oh my gosh now, we can’t continue the subsidy, it was on a one-year term,” Lee said.

“So what happens to all those people? Ultimately they would all be evicted and then would have no place to stay. So you’re not really doing them justice.”

As well, Lee said council was wary of creating expectations where other groups would come with similar requests.

He said the city’s role will be to advocate the provincial and federal government to provide the needed support.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that our provincial counterparts, are well aware of the situation and encourage those two organizations to certainly seek all the options that are available to them,” he said.

https://lacombeonline.com/local/new-affordable-housing-project-grand-opening-in-red-deer