City funding innovative solutions to combat homelessness |
April 8, 2025
City Council approved $3.5 million for three new, innovative approaches to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity recommended by the Community Mobilization Task Force.
The Task Force was created in 2024 and brought together representatives from the development industry, the non-profit sector, academia and Indigenous communities to explore new ideas and approaches to preventing and ending homelessness in Edmonton. Its work has now concluded. With Council’s approval of the grant funding recommendations, Administration will work to ensure that the proposed projects meet desired outcomes.
Funding from the Community Safety and Well-being Reserve will support the three investment-ready community opportunities:
- The Edmonton Community Foundation will create new housing for vulnerable Edmontonians by retrofitting underused non-residential buildings.
- Islamic Family and Social Services Association will create a digital platform that will help tenants find and maintain suitable housing options by expanding connections between housing providers and social service agencies.
- The Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton Region will hire, train and coordinate peer support workers to guide and support tenants to navigate complex systems, develop essential life skills and build social connections.
The number of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton has risen significantly over the past five years. Additionally, one in eight households, one in four renter households and one in three Indigenous renter households are in core housing need, meaning they pay too much for housing or live in crowded or unsafe conditions and can’t afford to move. Without additional and increased investment in affordable housing, this number is projected to increase in the next five years.
Indigenous Housing
Council also approved a Letter of Intent that was drafted in partnership with Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, to help the City further pursue investment from other orders of government in housing for Indigenous Peoples living in Edmonton.
The City of Edmonton will continue its advocacy to other orders of government for investment in urban Indigenous-led affordable housing. The City will also continue to work with Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta to increase the number of affordable housing units for Indigenous Peoples in Edmonton.
Quick Facts
- According to the By Name List maintained by Homeward Trust, 3,035 Edmontonians were provisionally accommodated, 815 reported they accessed shelters and 1,246 reported being unsheltered in February 2025.
- Around 60 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Edmonton identify as Indigenous.
- By 2031, Edmonton will need 39,700 more affordable rental housing units, 1,400 - 1,700 units of supportive housing and 189 units of transitional housing to address the demand for affordable, stable and suitable housing.
- Since 2019, the City has leveraged $255 million to attract more than $1 billion in funding from other sources to fund 5,597 affordable housing units, including 516 Indigenous-led affordable and supportive housing units.
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