Released on May 26, 2015
Four Regina families in need of housing will now have an affordable, safe place to call home, with help from the province, Gabriel Housing Corporation and the City of Regina.The province, through Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC), contributed approximately $859,000 toward the $1.2 million cost of building the four homes, which are designed to accommodate large families. Approximately $308,000 was provided by Gabriel Housing Corporation through cash and land equity, and an additional $60,000 was contributed by the City of Regina.
“Our government is pleased to work with Gabriel Housing Corporation and the City of Regina to help provide more housing opportunities for families in need of a safe, quality home,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister and Regina Coronation Park MLA Mark Docherty said on behalf of Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Donna Harpauer. “These homes are an important part of keeping Saskatchewan strong as we work together with our partners to support individuals and families in greatest housing need.”
“We recognize that with the city’s vacancy rate now at a healthy three per cent, we need to focus our attention on more purpose-built housing units,” Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said. “We’re glad to see developers like Gabriel Housing focused on creating not only affordable housing, but also bringing together different types of units that address affordable housing needs in our community.”
“Gabriel Housing Corporation works with Aboriginal people that face some serious socio-economic disparities relative to the general population, including the need for affordable housing among this group,” Gabriel Housing Corporation Chief Executive Officer Doug Moran said. “The Aboriginal population is the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population, and family size is often much larger than the general population so the need exists for affordable three- and four-bedroom housing units. Gabriel Housing Corporation and the Board of Directors are very pleased that our partners, the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and the City of Regina, are assisting us in reaching our goal of providing safe, healthy and affordable housing units to Aboriginal families. Our goal is simply to provide affordable family homes, and these four new units are just one more way of addressing a need in our community.”
Located in the Churchill Downs area of northeast Regina, the project consists of two three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units, for a total of four rental homes for large families. There are two unit sizes: two are 1,623 square feet (150.7 square metres) and two are 1,082 square feet (100.5 square metres) including developed basements.
SHC continues to work with the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to develop new housing opportunities in Regina. Since November 2007, 548 affordable rental units have been completed in the community, including the Gabriel Housing Corporation project. An additional 65 rental units are under construction. There are also 605 University of Regina student residence units currently under construction.
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For more information, contact:
Leya Moore
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3610
Email: leya.mooore@gov.sk.ca