Lacombe, AB -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/11/2014 -- Rob Clarke, Member of Parliament for Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, on behalf of the Honourable Candice Bergen, Minister of State (Social Development), along with the Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, made the announcement.

"Through investments in affordable housing, our Government is providing assistance to those who need it most here in Saskatchewan and in all corners of the country," said MP Clarke. "We are committed to making communities stronger through projects like these. This investment helped create new jobs and stimulated the local economy, while providing access to safe, affordable homes for this community's single-parent families."

"We are proud to work with the Government of Canada, the Northern Village of La Loche and Methy Housing Corporation to help make these homes available to northern families," said Minister Harpauer. "As supported by the Saskatchewan Growth Plan, good housing is at the heart of both individual and community well being, and helps create a strong economy and a high quality of life. We will continue to work with our housing partners to help make that happen."

The project consists of 2 two-bedroom semi-detached homes, for a total of four units. The project is on two adjacent lots, at 14 and 24 Moise Avenue in La Loche. This project will provide housing to low-income single-parent families in a community where housing is in high demand.

The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Province of Saskatchewan, through Saskatchewan Housing Corporation provided a combined investment of more than $370,000 through the Canada-Saskatchewan Agreement for Investment in Affordable Housing. Methy Housing Corporation provided more than $130,000, while the Northern Village of La Loche contributed to the land and services.

Annually, the Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest approximately $2 billion in housing. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of close to 600,000 households living in existing social housing. In Saskatchewan, this represents an estimated 28,000 households. The remaining funding supports housing-related activities and affordable housing programs, including the Investment in Affordable Housing. These investments are improving 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 continues 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. From April 2011 to June 2014, close to 184,000 households have benefited from this investment nationally, including 1,673 households in Saskatchewan.

In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2011, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested $326 million to develop more than 5,600 units and repair more than 24,300 homes around the province.

“The resale market will (become) more competitive, drawing some sales away from the new home market in 2015,” says Cho. In Alberta this year, 69,900 homes are expected to change hands on the resale market. Next year, it’s slated for a three per cent uptick to 71,900 sales.

Behind Alberta’s two biggest cities, Red Deer is forecast to see 865 starts on a variety of homes in 2014, 10 per cent more than the 784 homes a year earlier.

About Affordable Housing - Blackfalds
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