A report primarily based on focus groups held in Conklin revealed that nearly every participant feels negatively affected by the housing crisis in the community.
The focus groups were held in November and December of 2017, with a final validation meeting held in April 2018.
The final report says in order to fully understand the extent of the housing crisis, a comprehensive approach needs to be taken. This would include historical research, point-in-time counts, statistical analysis and program reviews.
It says that the Wood Buffalo Housing Development Corportation (WBHDC) planned to provide over 20 housing units in the early 2000s, but only provided four rent-to-own and two gap housing units.
In 2003, the RMWB transferred 10 parcels of land to the WBHDC for $1.
Although the WBHDC is working to address the crisis, there are still serious problems, including the poorly built houses inherited in 1995. According to focus group participants, these houses lack proper insulation, plumbing, heating and emergency exits.
They’ve signed an agreement with the the Conklin Resource Development Advisory Committee (CRDAC) and they’ve brought in four trailers.
In order to fix the issue, one community member said “Let’s get rid of the band-aid; let’s fix it.”
The first step to address the crisis is to borrow from the provincial government’s A plan for Alberta: Ending Homelessness in 10 Years as well as the RMWB’s Heading Home: The Right Thing to Do: 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness 2010-2020.
The community will also establish a Housing Committee to lead any efforts to address the crisis. All members of the community are expected to be involved from planning, building to maintaining of the properties, which could also provide employment opportunities and skills training.
A home ownership program, like rent-to-own, would give people the opportunity to own and give them the sense of pride, but community members worry that houses will allow for the sale of houses to people outside the community.
