Housing
The cost of housing has skyrocketed in recent years. As a result, thousands of Albertans are forced to live on the streets, while many more are one missed paycheck or unexpected expense away from homelessness. The Green Party of Alberta will ensure that all Albertans have a place to call home.
The Green Party of Alberta will:
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Implement a Housing First program to end homelessness
- Focus on a goal of ending homelessness and ensuring all Albertans have permanent housing through a Housing First program, providing long-term housing for people experiencing homelessness
- Follow the model piloted by Finland, which keeps over 80% of participants housed permanently and saves the government $21,000 per housed person by reducing expenditures on emergency services, hospitals, and prisons
- Aim to prevent homelessness before it occurs by delivering early intervention services, financial assistance for housing, and outreach services to forge a path to stable housing
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Cap rent increases and build affordable housing
- Recognize housing as a necessity of life rather than primarily an asset to profit from
- Limit rent increases to 1.5% annually, allowing landlords to cover expenses and make a modest profit, successful in British Columbia
- Enhance protection of tenants' rights by making eviction data publicly available
- Implement a massive scale construction program of publicly-owned and operated, net-zero social housing, while supporting non-profit and non-market housing options like co-ops
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Save lives by addressing the drug poisoning crisis
- Dramatically expand access to evidence-based measures for minimizing harm and treating addiction, such as supervised consumption sites, medication-assisted therapy, and safe supply.
- Treat addiction as a health problem, not a criminal justice problem, and decriminalize drug possession for personal use