Edmonton city councillors are discussing what the Alberta government’s role could look like in its homelessness response.
The talks come as a city-led task force lays out its recommendations to give more people access to housing.
Back on the agenda for councillors on Monday was figuring out how to improve services and access to housing for Edmontonians.
“You can go out almost into any community and see the impacts we’re facing right now, and the need for a more direct plan,” said ward Nakota Isga Coun. Andrew Knack.
In July 2024, councillors told administration they wanted to have the Alberta government take the lead on homeless supports because that’s provincial jurisdiction.
This report says that idea has some practical problems with things like contracts and it says the province “did not articulate a willingness to assume sole responsibility for homelessness and affordable housing programs and services currently administered by the city.”
Knack says it’s a difficult joint effort to navigate.
“We need them to say ‘yes, we want to be collaborative’ and I want to say yes back to them, ‘we’re ready to work with you on these things.’ But somebody needs to take the lead and truly we don’t have the legislative authority to take the lead on these things,” said Knack.
Those talks come as the city is shedding more light on its $3.5-million Community Mobilization Task Force on Housing and Houselessness.
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“The intent and the focus was really what can we do now, how can (we) mobilize community quickly,” said task force co-chair Tina Thomas.
“We also tried to look at things that could be preventative, but also intervention so we could prevent people from becoming houseless but also working with people that are currently at that state.”
Last January, the city declared a housing and homelessness emergency. At the same time council created a task force to help solve the root causes.
The first of those recommendations was released Monday.
“There’s still so many gaps in our city that needs to be filled that we can’t do alone as a city,” said ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford.
The recommendations include creating a fund for accelerated retrofits to create more housing, a platform for collaboration between social agencies and landlords, and a peer-support service for vulnerable tenants.
“We do think that they are going to be a strong complement to the work that’s already ongoing by the different orders of government, but really enable community (to) come to the table in another way and hopefully serve the purpose that we set out to do,” said Nick Lilley, task force co-chair.
The recommendations still have to be approved by council at a future meeting in April.
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