PRINCE ALBERT, SK, May 10, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan, along with Canadian Mental Health Association Prince Albert (CMHA), officially opened a new rental housing project in Prince Albert for individuals living with persistent and complex mental health challenges and other concurrent disorders who require supports to secure and maintain housing.
The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Joe Hargrave, Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert Carlton, on behalf of the Honourable Paul Merriman, Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC), and Doug Kinar, Executive Director CMHA Prince Albert, made the announcement today.
The new project, Joni's Place, consists of six one-bedroom units located at 538 7th Street East in Prince Albert. Each unit is approximately 560 ft2 (52 m2).
Quotes:
"Our Government is investing in affordable housing here in Prince Albert and across Canada to help create affordable, secure housing, and improve the quality of life for those who need it most. With our partners like the Canadian Mental Health Association, we are providing a helping hand for individuals in need, and in doing so, we are contributing to the economic and social well-being of the entire community."
— Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
"Our government is pleased to see the completion of Joni's Place, which will help hard-to-house people improve and maintain their health and wellbeing. We know how important it is that places like this exist to provide a safe place to live for vulnerable individuals who required extra supports. We are pleased to work with the Federal Government and CMHA Prince Albert to to continue to work towards providing sustainable, affordable housing for Saskatchewan people in greatest need. "
— Honourable Joe Hargave, Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and Member of the Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert Carlton
"CMHA Prince Albert Branch is proud to be opening its third apartment complex in partnership with CMHC and SHC. We had previously opened Maple Ridge, which has eight units, and Dave Rascher Place, with an additional eight units, in 2010 and 2016 respectively. We believe adequate affordable housing is a primary component for maintaining positive mental health in our society. Our Independent Living Program, which is attached to the tenants of our housing program, provides support and education to our tenants to enable them to live independently in spite of their complex needs as they move through their journey of recovery."
— Doug Kinar, Executive Director, Canadian Mental Health Association Prince Albert
Quick Facts:
- The Government of Canada, through CMHC, and the Government of Saskatchewan, through SHC, jointly contributed up to $612,500 to this project through the Canada-Saskatchewan 2016-2018 Social Infrastructure Fund (SIF) Agreement.
- The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS), an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
- Thanks to new investments proposed in Budget 2019, Canada's National Housing Strategy will be a 10-year, $55 billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.This project supports the Province's Housing Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy and Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan to increase community capacity to ensure Saskatchewan people in greatest need, including people living with persistent and complex mental health and addictions issues, have access to affordable, safe and stable housing.
- CMHA Prince Albert provides a drop-in centre (The Nest), vocational, recreation, education and wellness programming, a community kitchen and a lunch program. A dedicated employee provides independent living support to tenants through home visits. Established in 1997, CMHA Prince Albert is a non-profit corporation focussing on assisting people with mental illness.
Associated Links:
As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.
To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.
In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $790 million to develop or repair more than 16,000 housing units across our province. To learn more, visit www.saskatchewan.ca.
SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Media Contacts: Valérie Glazer, Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546, [email protected]; Leonard Catling, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 604-787-1787, [email protected]; Leya Moore, Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services, 306-787-3610, [email protected]
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