Demand on social services has spiked in Blackfalds.

That sentiment is clear when looking at the latest Social Needs Assessment, the last inventory of programs and services was done in 2012.

Mayor Melodie Stol says FCSS dollars from the province did not adjust to the growth rate in Blackfalds for a number of years, resulting in tremendous strain on their resources and now funding has more than doubled "so now we needed a plan to spend that money wisely and that's what this does, but there is a lot of pent up demand, there's a lot of programs that probably a Town our size should already have in place that we don't and one of the highlights of that is employment services".

There are 16 recommendations coming out of the Assessment, Mayor Melodie Stol says the lack of affordable housing needs to be addressed in one area specifically "I believe the greatest weakness is the amount of affordable seniors housing.  We find that our seniors do move away when they get to a certain age because of that lack of housing.  You have to start at the entry level end when they still need to be independant living and go up from there, but without enough housing in those areas then we lose them as their care needs increase".

Other recommendations include establishing a program of short term supports, developing a low income subsidy policy and program, and developing a plan to increase child care options.

Stol says the Assessment also includes a complete inventory of all the social services they are currently offering, so moving forward they can do a better job of communicating to residents what's available and it helps them identify areas where they need to add additional services.