A stakeholders’ forum that saw all levels of government meet and discuss Cochrane housing concerns has struck a conversation that many players hope will transition into a community-driven action plan.
Members from a variety of area stakeholder groups, as well as town administration, Mayor Ivan Brooker, Banff-Cochrane MLA Ron Casey and Wild Rose MP Blake Richards were in attendance at the RancheHouse Oct. 18 to discuss the range of housing concerns in Cochrane. Approximately 40 people attended the forum.
The lack of rental options, limited senior’s housing options, concerns over affordable housing and options for at-risk (homeless) youth were identified as key areas of concern.
“Housing in general is an issue in Cochrane, where not all residents have a roof over their heads,” said Suzanne Gaida, senior manager of community services for the town, emphasizing the dire lack of rentals available.
Gaida said that in order for Cochrane to develop a ‘community housing plan’, the onus would be on partnerships among the various stakeholders, including the town, developers and builders.
Brooker said he was very intrigued by keynote speaker Casey’s references to Canmore housing solutions that were implemented; prior to his election as MLA, Casey was the mayor of Canmore.
The Cochrane mayor referred to Canmore as ‘one of the most progressive communities’, noting the town’s shift in philosophy through imposing an affordable housing levy that residents contribute to.
Canmore was able to successfully negotiate with builders and developers to contribute back to their housing society through the exchange of road allowances for units purchased at-cost by the town.
“I don’t know if the residents of Cochrane are ready for that,” said Brooker, acknowledging that while most people seem to view affordable housing as a provincial problem, when there is a lack of consistent government assistance (grants), there is little alternative outside of putting it back to the taxpayer.
Casey said the solution lies in bringing the private sector into the driver’s seat — with an emphasis on balanced housing to avoid shortfalls in any type of housing on the spectrum.
He emphasized that what worked in Canmore may not be easily duplicated in Cochrane, as ‘every community is different’ and Cochrane’s proximity to Calgary ‘adds a twist to Cochrane’s housing problem’.
“Without safe, affordable housing we cannot function as a family or a community, and without a diverse type of housing we become narrow and a dysfunctional community,” Casey said at the forum.
Cochranite Brenda Sine attended the forum as a volunteer board member with the United Way.
Sine was pleased with the emphasis on teamwork from the private sector and the overwhelming enthusiasm exhibited by everyone in attendance.
The former Cochrane councillor said she was disappointed to see Tara McFadden as the only councillor in attendance, and only for a portion of the day.
“I was incredibly disappointed that none of the other councillors felt this was important enough to attend,” she noted, adding that the date was selected in June to accommodate the schedules of town councillors.
Sine said one of the overarching themes was to remove the term ‘affordable’ from the equation and to educate the community into recognizing housing as a multi-faceted issue as a whole.
Sharon MacDonald, communications and engagement coordinator for Sustainable Partners Uniting Resources (SPUR) reiterated, “We have to take away the term ‘affordable’ (as being the crux of the housing problem in Cochrane)…we have to increase all types of housing because if we have a shortage in any one bracket, it pushed the others,” she explained, adding that the issue of housing is highlighted in Pathway 9 of the Cochrane Sustainability Plan: ‘everyone has a roof over their heads’.
Adelle Forzley, program coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club of Cochrane and Area, attended the event to connect with the rest of the community and bring awareness regarding the community concern over at-risk and homeless youth.
Forzley said at any given time there are up to 30 homeless youth in Cochrane who ‘do not have consistent shelter’; this figure is a rough estimation, as a ‘point-in-time count’ has not yet been conducted by the local non-profit organization.
The program coordinator said that the club is thrilled to have recently received a ‘significant amount’ in the form of a provincial grant Sept. 1 to go toward staffing and support for youth (who are at-risk or currently homeless).
In the coming weeks, the club will be hiring someone to work on creating a program to address youth homelessness; possibilities may include a safe house, the building of a network of ‘supportive roommates’ (a pseudo-billet family approach) and subsidized housing.
Forzley stressed that whichever model is selected — following studies of successful models addressing youth homelessness in other rural Alberta communities — the focus would be on developing ‘wrap-around support’.
Carol Borschneck, chief administrative officer for the Rocky View Foundation, also attended the forum.
The foundation oversees senior housing in Rocky View County; this includes Big Hill Lodge, the independent living facility located in the East End of Cochrane where 74 seniors reside; the facility’s rates are subsidized by the province.
Borschneck said the lodge offers ‘level two’ living and that levels three and four (higher levels of care, requiring full-time nursing care) are currently not available in Cochrane.
“These seniors have to leave the community once they require a higher level of care,” she explained, adding that some may be able to return to the Bethany Care Centre once they reach long-term care, but that the wait list at Bethany is long.
“There is the potential to build a mixed income model…for folks who wish to stay in the community but maybe don’t require affordable housing,” Borschneck said, adding that one such facility, the Rocky View Lodge, was opened in 2012 in Crossfield.
Borschneck applauded all three levels of governance for their participation at the forum.
Coun. McFadden said she is looking forward to the future development of a community housing strategy and that housing makes its way up the list of priorities for town council.
“It’s under-talked about and under-recognized,” said McFadden. “We have to look at housing for everyone in Cochrane.”
