An Airdrie resident who suffers from severe arthritis and type-two diabetes said he and his family may have to leave the city soon, given the sale of their rented home, the increased cost of living, and a lack of housing options for low-income families and those with disabilities.
Adrian (whom the Airdrie City View has agreed to provide some anonymity by withholding his last name) has been living in Airdrie for six years. He and his family first resided in an apartment in King’s Heights, before moving to a house in Windsong three years ago.
Adrian said six months go, his landlord informed him, his wife, and their 14-year-old son that he intended to sell the house they were renting. Now, Adrian isn’t sure where the family will move next.
“They originally wanted us out June 1, but with the market the way it is, we’re having a problem finding a place because of our [support dog],” Adrian said, adding the home's owner recently moved to Toronto. “With our disabilities, I really don’t want to get rid of my dog, because she helps our family quite a bit.”
In addition to his arthritis and diabetes, Adrian said his teenage son has Fetal Alcohol Spectral Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, and a learning disability. His wife suffers from depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.
Due to the arthritis in his knees and lower back, Adrian uses a wheelchair, but said he is mostly bed-ridden and unable to work. (He was previously a truck driver for 27 years). As a result, he collects a combination of welfare support through Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), CPP disability, and child tax payments. In total, he said this income support amounts to about $2,700 a month.
Though the rent for their three-bedroom house – $1,750 a month – hasn’t been increased since they moved to Windsong three years ago, Adrian said the rising cost of utilities means the entirety of the welfare support he receives from the government goes toward housing.
“My rent is more than half of my cheque,” Adrian said. “The utilities, with them going up, that takes the remainder of my cheque, which leaves us with no money for food. We’ve been living off the food bank here in Airdrie.”
To help pay for food, Adrian’s wife supplemented his income support by delivering for Skip the Dishes, but Adrian said doing so impacted her ability to be on the Alberta Works program, which he said used to provide her about $700 a month.
“My spouse is looking for work,” he said. “She was on Alberta Works, but they kicked her off because she was working part-time for Skip the Dishes. They don’t allow you to work at all. If you do earn any income, it’s dollar-for-dollar. So if you earn $500, that’s what they take away from you.”
Adrian said he has applied through Airdrie Housing Ltd. for below-market housing, but added that due to his being in a wheelchair, the housing management agency was unable to accommodate him.
Having a support dog has also complicated matters when it comes to looking for a new home, according to Adrian.
“They basically said they don’t have anything and didn’t give me a timeline as to when something might become available,” he said, adding he's applied for subsidized housing in Calgary as well.
“We won’t want to go back to Calgary, but if it comes down to it, we would.”
As the City View previously reported, Airdrie currently has a lack of below-market housing options. A 2017 needs assessment of the city’s housing supply determined just 0.3 per cent of Airdrie's housing stock was considered “below-market” rentals, falling well below a national average of six per cent, according to the report.
According to Airdrie Housing Ltd.’s 2021 housing update, the city had an inventory of just 44 affordable housing units last year. The organization is currently working to add 31 additional units to the organization’s affordable housing stock by converting the former HomeStay Express facility along East Lake Boulevard into apartments.
Adrian said he and his family love living in Airdrie, but that they're willing to relocate to any other community in Alberta if they have to.
“We’ve loved it since we first moved and we really don’t want to leave this town,” he said. “It’s become part of our lives. Our son is starting high school next year. With us living in Windsong, he really wanted to go to W.H. Croxford.
“But if we have to leave the city or move to another community, that will change where he goes to school. And with him being special needs, he also has to have an aide in the class to help him.”
Adrian added W.H. Croxford has classes for students with special learning needs, and that would be another benefit of his son attending the school.
“Not every school has that,” he said. “We were really lucky at Windsong Elementary that he had the support he needed.”
