Desirea Nunweiler is searching for a new home. (Photo Courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Darren Rathwell

Almost 300 on MH's affordable housing waitlist

Medicine Hat tenant hoping for more affordable housing

Nov 4, 2021 | 6:06 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The province is looking to give Alberta’s affordable housing a boost, and it can’t come soon enough for at least one Medicine Hat tenant.

New legislation introduced this week would expand the capacity of affordable space by 40 per cent and see up to 82,000 households placed.

Desirea Nunweiler pays $900 a month for a small two-bedroom house in the Flats, and says she has been searching for a new place to call home for months.

“I would like to have affordable living anywhere.. It’s just atrocious. People want between $1,300 and $2,000 a month for rent and nobody can afford that,” Nunweiler said.

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She says she also pays a large amount for utilities in part from some deficiencies with their rental home.

“My son’s window needs to be fixed. There’s a gaping hole in the laundry room that needs to be fixed,” Nunweiler added.

A major roadblock to finding a new place within her budget is her family includes two pets. She’s hoping the province succeeds with new legislation announced by the housing minister this week.

“(Bill 78 includes) enhancing of sustainability and efficiency, and enabling growth in investment,’ Alberta housing minister Josephine Pon told a media conference.

Pon says the bill would create more private partnerships to help manage provincially owned housing, and Medicine Hat’s housing agency is cautiously optimistic positive change is coming.

“I do believe this government has put a lot of time and effort into learning and into gathering information so they can build a plan,” Robin Miiller, chief operating officer of the Medicine hat Community Housing Society told CHAT News.

A meeting with provincial officials to discuss the government’s affordable housing plans is slated with the MHC Housing Society and other housing agencies Friday, said Miiller.

She added there are currently almost 300 households on Medicine Hat’s affordable housing waiting list. To qualify for a position on the waiting list, 30 per cent of household income must go towards housing costs.

Meanwhile, Nunweiler will continue her search, which she hopes will finish soon.

“I’m constantly stressed and worried how I’m going to make rent next month and then pay utilities and not have utilities get cut off because I can’t afford (them) because I pay rent.. I’ve still gotta feed my family.. It’s just tough. It really is.”