Homeless Rally in Edmonton

Street people and advocates for the homeless rallied on the steps of the Legislature yesterday, demanding that the provincial government take action on the affordable housing crisis.

"There is a rupture in Alberta's socioeconomic landscape. And those who fall through the cracks are left to spiral further into poverty," said Greg Farrants, a member of Albertans Demanding Affordable Housing (ADAH).

ADAH put on the event with the help of Edmonton Street News, a newspaper sold by street people.

Speakers included ADAH members, Edmonton Street News editor Linda Dumont, street pastor Pedro Schultz and a homeless woman named Diane, who shared some of her experiences with the crowd.

"It is especially important that we help children and people with mental and physical handicaps, who are affected by our homelessness crisis," said Schultz.

Schultz estimated the number of people living on the street in Edmonton at 2,600 and asked for immediate solutions to homelessness in the city.

ADAH members agreed, saying that waiting for the market to solve the problem in time is not an option and that action must be taken now.

The group listed three demands aimed at the provincial government: that 25% of new developments be designated as affordable housing; that rent control be enforced across the province; and that 1% of federal and provincial budgets be set aside for affordable housing.

While NDP MLAs Ray Martin, David Eggen and Raj Pannu showed up to offer support, Farrants noted the visible absence of any conservative representatives.

"It's an issue that I've been on for a long time," said Martin, who is also a member of the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force.

Martin called Alberta's Conservatives a "party of landlords rather than a party of renters" and said it's not likely the government will change their stance on the issue "unless they feel like they're going to lose seats."

One major contributor to the housing crisis is the conversion of rental properties into condominiums, said Martin.

As of May, there were 4,134 condo conversions this year, a number that is projected to rise to 9,922.

The number of rental spaces already lost this year diminishes the importance of the 3800 affordable housing units the city has promised to build, said Martin.

"Unless they do something significant, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better," he said. Street people and advocates for the homeless rallied on the steps of the Legislature yesterday, demanding that the provincial government take action on the affordable housing crisis.

"There is a rupture in Alberta's socioeconomic landscape. And those who fall through the cracks are left to spiral further into poverty," said Greg Farrants, a member of Albertans Demanding Affordable Housing (ADAH).

ADAH put on the event with the help of Edmonton Street News, a newspaper sold by street people.

Speakers included ADAH members, Edmonton Street News editor Linda Dumont, street pastor Pedro Schultz and a homeless woman named Diane, who shared some of her experiences with the crowd.

"It is especially important that we help children and people with mental and physical handicaps, who are affected by our homelessness crisis," said Schultz.

Schultz estimated the number of people living on the street in Edmonton at 2,600 and asked for immediate solutions to homelessness in the city.

ADAH members agreed, saying that waiting for the market to solve the problem in time is not an option and that action must be taken now.

The group listed three demands aimed at the provincial government: that 25% of new developments be designated as affordable housing; that rent control be enforced across the province; and that 1% of federal and provincial budgets be set aside for affordable housing.

While NDP MLAs Ray Martin, David Eggen and Raj Pannu showed up to offer support, Farrants noted the visible absence of any conservative representatives.

"It's an issue that I've been on for a long time," said Martin, who is also a member of the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force.

Martin called Alberta's Conservatives a "party of landlords rather than a party of renters" and said it's not likely the government will change their stance on the issue "unless they feel like they're going to lose seats."

One major contributor to the housing crisis is the conversion of rental properties into condominiums, said Martin.

As of May, there were 4,134 condo conversions this year, a number that is projected to rise to 9,922.

The number of rental spaces already lost this year diminishes the importance of the 3800 affordable housing units the city has promised to build, said Martin.

"Unless they do something significant, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better," he said.
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/06/28/pf-4296790.html