Joint Government Funding Will Bring New Affordable Seniors Housing to Vermilion

VERMILION, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - March 27, 2015) - New affordable housing options will soon be available for seniors in Vermilion, thanks to a $9.8 million investment by the Governments of Canada and Alberta. This joint funding will support the construction of 50 new units at the Vermilion Valley Lodge.

Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development), along with Richard Starke, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Vermilion-Lloydminster, made the funding announcement today.

Quick facts:

• The Vermilion Valley Lodge is located at 4610 - 53^rd Avenue, in Vermilion, Alberta.
  
  
• The Governments of Canada and Alberta are jointly contributing $9,800,000 under the Investment in Affordable Housing Agreement 2014-2019.This agreement represents some $202 million over five years to help more individuals and families in housing need.
  
  
• The funding will support the construction of 50 new units to replace aging units in the 124-unit facility.
  
  
  
• Vermilion and District Housing Foundation will provide additional funding to this project.
  
  
• The facility will continue to offer 24-hour help with everyday living and health care needs for seniors.
  
  

Quotes:

"Access to affordable, quality housing for seniors in small towns is important, not only here in Alberta but across Canada. Our government is proud to invest in housing developments that provide seniors with a stable and affordable place to live. This is great news for Vermilion."

- Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright

"Our seniors deserve ready access to safe and affordable housing. Our commitment is to build quality accommodation options that meet a variety of needs. This investment helps ensure seniors can stay in the communities they helped build, close to family, friends and neighbours."

- Richard Starke, MLA for Vermilion-Lloydminster

"This funding announcement will allow our Foundation to offer a much higher quality of accommodation to our community for many years to come. We will create rooms that will include greater privacy and comfort and be more in tune with today's expectations. Thank you to both the Federal and Provincial governments for recognizing our need and having the confidence in our community to proceed with this project."

- Daryl Watt, Chair of the Vermilion and District Housing Foundation

Associated links:

• Annually, the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), invests approximately $2 billion in housing. These investments improve the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in existing social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people. Economic Action Plan 2013 continued this commitment with a federal investment of more than $1.25 billion over five years to renew the Investment in Affordable Housing to 2019. The Government of Canada will ensure that funds provided to provinces and territories support the use of apprentices, which will support training of skilled labour.
  
  
• In the last four years, the Alberta government has dedicated more than $220 million towards seniors' housing across the province. This includes $144.5 million in federal-provincial funding to renew and expand 14 lodges. Renovation projects and replacement units funded by the IAH in 2012-13 include government-owned lodges in Boyle, Camrose, Canmore, Drayton Valley, Forestburg and Milk River.
  
  

Stay connected:

- Follow CMHC on Twitter @CMHC_ca

- Follow Alberta Seniors on Twitter @YourAlberta