Housing
NUMBERS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE
In Red Deer, homeless people are defined as individuals and families who lack shelter or are temporarily residing at an agency (shelter, hospital, jail) and expected to be on the street by the end of their stay or are temporarily staying with friends and relatives.
In 2006, a survey was completed to attempt to determine the number of homeless people within the city. In September of 2006, there were 104 homeless persons. This is a rate of 1.25 homeless persons per 1000 population in Red Deer. As a comparison, there was 1 homeless person per 1000 population in Vancouver in 2005110.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Inn from the Cold is a program offered by local city churches and Red Deer College to offer cold weather shelter to the City's homeless. Homeless people who cannot be accommodated at People’s Place Shelter are provided with a mat on the floor of one of the participating organizations.
Implemented in 2000, this was intended to be a temporary two year program while other, more permanent solutions could be developed. Now, seven years later, this program is still operating in Red Deer. Although the number of homeless is increasing annually, this program is reducing its services due to volunteer exhaustion and inadequate screening of guests111.
CITY OF RED DEER RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS
In 2005, the City of Red Deer established a community-based Task Force with developing a ten-year plan for ending homelessness. Red Deer was the first Canadian community to take action in this manner112.
GROSS SHELTER INCOME RATIO (HOUSING COSTS GREATER THAN 30% OF INCOME)
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation recommends that no more than 30% of monthly household income be spent on housing.
The proportion of households spending 30% or more of their income on rent was 40% in Red Deer in 2001, 1% higher than the national average.
The proportion of households spending more than 30% of income on mortgage payments was 15%, which is 6% lower than the national average113.
The proportion of households spending 30 % or more of their income on gross rent was 40 % in Red Deer in 2000, 101 % of the national average. The proportion of households spending more than 30 % of income on owner’s major payments was 15 %, 94 % of the national average114.
Please see Appendix 10.0 for more information.
HOUSING PRICES VERSUS FAMILY INCOME
Housing prices in Red Deer increased an average of 26% between 2001 and 2005115. Median census family income has increased by 20.6% in the same period116.
RATIO OF MLS AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL PRICES AND MEDIAN CENSUS FAMILY MONEY INCOME /AVERAGE HOUSING PRICES AS A PROPORTION OF MEDIAN CENSUS FAMILY INCOME
With a ratio of average house prices117 to median money income for Census families of 2.26 in 2005118, Red Deer was 55 % of the national average and 74 % of the provincial average119. The ratio increased 8 % over 2000-2005.
MEDIAN HOUSING PRICESM
Residential housing includes houses, condominiums, townhouses, mobile homes, and any other form of residential housing. Median residential housing price is the price point at which 50% of residences are sold under that amount and 50% of residences are sold for over that amount.
In April and May 2007 combined, the median residential housing price for Red Deer was $312,000. This was 36.2% higher than the median residential housing price for Red Deer for the same period in 2006, and 76.2% higher than the median residential housing price for Red Deer in 2005120.
RENTAL VACANCY RATE
Rental vacancy rates in Red Deer (according to the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation) over the past 5 years are as follows121:
| 2002 | 3.9% |
| 2003 | 4.3% |
| 2004 | 3.5% |
| 2005 | 1.0% |
| 2006 | 0.5% |
RENTAL VACANCY RATES IN RED DEER COMPARED TO CANADA
At 0.5 % in 2005, the rental vacancy rate of two bedroom apartments in Red Deer was 32 % of the national average in 2005. The rate is down 44 % from that in 2004, the first year for which data are available122.
A BREAKDOWN OF HOUSING UNITS IN RED DEER (E.G. SINGLE DETACHED, SEMI-DETACHED, APARTMENTS, ETC.)
Out of a total of 34, 342 houses in Red Deer in 2006, there are123:
18, 064 (52.6%) single detached units
7, 212 (21%) apartments
3, 366 (9.8%) townhouses/rowhouses
2, 747 (8.0%) duplex/semi-detached
1, 132 (3.3%) fourplexes/triplexes
1, 065 (3.1%) manufactured homes
756 (2.2%) suites, in single detached, collective, and other dwellings.
AVERAGE RENT AS A PROPORTION OF MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Average annual rent was 12.8 % of median money income for Census families in 2004 in Red Deer. This ratio was 86 % of the national ratio124.
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