Gaps and Opportunities in Affordable Housing Policy for Albertans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The purpose of this paper is to determine how significant an issue housing is for Albertans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), assess how well current public policy is meeting their housing needs, and recommend public policy interventions that could be used to improve their housing situation. The research finds that Albertans with IDD have the lowest employment rate in the province and earnings are low. Therefore, many Albertans with IDD must rely on governments for income and funding for supportive services. However, participation in major government programs is low and income supports are insufficient. Alberta’s disability income benefit is currently at or below the poverty line across every region. As such, many Albertans with IDD do not have the financial resources to afford housing costs and they are missing the supports they need to live independently. Albertans with IDD have one of the highest rates of core housing need in the province, more than double the rest of the population and significantly higher than Albertans with other types of disabilities. Additionally, it is estimated that more than 50% of Albertans with IDD are living with and relying on family members. Current public policy is not meeting the housing needs of Albertans with IDD. This paper provides recommendations on how all levels of government can address this critical issue.
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About the author: Cheryl Selinger recently completed a Master of Public Policy degree at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Her graduate research focused on Canadian housing policy for Albertans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Prior to graduate studies, Cheryl worked for the City of Calgary for over 20 years, managing data and research in transportation, planning, and affordable housing. For the last 8 years, she specialized in social research and policy, co-leading the affordable housing research program. Cheryl’s major contributions to the housing sector include Calgary’s non-market housing survey, a comparative analysis of housing supply across Canada, and the creation of a spatial tool for prioritizing sites for affordable housing development. Cheryl is a recognized leader in research and innovation and her work has been featured at conferences across Canada and the U.S.
The author can be contacted at: www.linkedin.com/in/cherylselinger