Lethbridge to build 500 affordable homes over next 5 years

The City of Lethbridge plans to build 100 new affordable homes per year for the next five years.

That goal arises from an in-depth study of the city's housing needs recently completed by the Municipal Housing Task Force, said Coun. Belinda Crowson.

She said the study pointed to several important things about the city's demographics, including that it has a higher, per-capita population of seniors and a higher percentage of persons living with disabilities than most places in Alberta.

"We are also seeing a great increase in the number of people who are experiencing homelessness and that tends to be Indigenous males 25 to 64," said Crowson.

"So we know we need to create supports and find housing options for that group as well. So there are a lot of things that we discovered in this process."

Information for the housing needs study came from the city's census, as well as feedback from social outreach organizations that work with vulnerable populations.