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Suitable, Affordable and Available

Calgary’s senior housing crisis

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Calgary housing is a prickly hot topic. While most of the attention on Calgary’s housing situation focuses on the two most volatile factors – availability and affordability, there is another stealth, and sometimes overlooked, dimension of Calgary housing. Senior living. 

Statistically, demographically and according to most trending projections, housing is a crucial aspect of senior living throughout Alberta, and particularly in Calgary.  

The trends and numbers don’t lie. The Alberta seniors demographic continues to surge. Some stats track that the seniors cohort is growing faster than other age groups.  

Between 2013 and 2023, the proportion of seniors (those aged 65 and older) increased from 12 per cent to 16 per cent of Alberta’s total population. And by 2051, projections show that one in five Albertans will be a senior.  

Many recent surveys and reports underscore key reasons. Today’s seniors are living longer and healthier lives, they have higher education levels, and – by choice, chance or necessity – many are working longer.  

For various quality of life factors, suitable and affordable housing has become is a contentious senior living issue in Calgary. 

“It’s no secret. Calgary is in the midst of a serious housing crisis,” says the plugged-in Marlys Jordan, CEO of Calgary Heritage Housing (CHH), with a focus on subsidized housing for independent seniors, and the organization which has been a steward of local Alberta seniors housing assets for nearly four decades. CHH manages 480 suites in nine Calgary buildings and is respected as the second largest management body for subsidized, senior self-contained housing in the city.   

“There’s no doubt about it. Calgary’s housing crisis, combined with the rapidly growing seniors demographic, translates into increasing need for housing that is both affordable and accessible. In the last five years, the wants, needs and expectations of Calgary seniors have evolved. 

“Calgary Heritage Housing has introduced the new role – tenant support worker – to better address the increase in the number of seniors that require some manner of support in navigating their everyday lives.” 

As with other aspects of housing and real estate, senior living housing is also impacted by the usual flux and speedbumps of supply and demand. Similar to traditional real estate and conventional listings and sales trendings, Jordan notes that the demand for affordable seniors’ housing is high, while the supply is extremely limited.  

“At present, there are just over 3,800 senior self-contained units available in Calgary,” Jordan notes, “which isn’t much, when you consider that by 2025 the city is expected to be home to 191,600 seniors.” 

Kyle Fawcett is chief external relations officer with Silvera, the non-healthcare Calgary organization and non-profit provider of housing with services and supports for independent older adults. “Calgary’s seniors’ population is growing. In combination with the rising cost of living, this has created a housing crisis,” he says.  

“Unfortunately, the housing crisis is going to get worse before it gets better. The City of Calgary’s housing assessment released last fall indicated that the 65-plus age group is the fastest growing demographic in Calgary.” He details that women comprise more than 60 per cent of Silvera’s residents, aligning with the City’s forecast that the female “super senior” (women over age 85) will increase by more than 61 per cent over the next decade, far exceeding any other demographic. 

When it comes to housing, senior living experts categorize the four main types of facilities as: independent living, aging-in-place; assisted living; nursing homes; and designated supportive living (DSL). 

Although it can get complex, complicated and sometimes pricey, senior living in the Calgary area offers many options. Private and public options. Basic and deluxe amenities, services and support options. And most facilities offer a range of provided or optional services to residents, from planned social activities, travel, entertainment, to non-medical personal care and skilled nursing care.  

As in conventional real estate, affordability is a crucial factor. Senior living experts also emphasize the vital Calgary senior living housing factors of advance planning and availability. 

For most Calgary seniors, and the families of Calgary seniors, it is a challenging essential to do homework about the types and the availability of senior housing. Researching. Asking questions. Investigating. Comparing and choosing from the many Calgary options.  

The search for suitable senior housing in Calgary is inevitably a time-consuming and personalized process, which requires a lot of planning and decision making. 

The quandary is that, while advance planning involves much considering options, narrowing down choices and making decisions, in Calgary and throughout the country, there is limited space availability and infamously long waiting lists. The Alberta Ministry cautions that wait times in Alberta can range from six months to two years. 

“Many of the seniors we have applying for housing are attempting to improve their immediate situation,” Marlys Jordan adds. “Whether it is dependency on friends or family members, a change triggered by some kind of medical crisis, or the financial stress associated with not being able to make ends meet. 

“There can be a myriad of unforeseen circumstances that put seniors in precarious housing situations. It can get complicated, but poor planning is rarely the root cause.” 

Kyle Fawcett also cautions that effective advance planning can get challenging, particularly in Calgary, because population growth rates are historically high. “This has squeezed the rental market. The obvious solution is to build more housing, but that takes funding and time.  

“The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation expects the housing situation to get worse before it gets better. And like with Calgary’s conventional rental market, affordability is an important factor. Seniors typically have fixed incomes and less income elasticity and opportunity to adjust to rising housing and cost of living costs.”  

He cites the recent stats that nearly 45 per cent of seniors in Calgary earn less than $36,000 per year in gross income, “which works out to significantly lower than the current living wage equivalent. We consider these individuals to be low-income seniors and they make up approximately 90 per cent of the seniors on Silvera’s existing affordable housing waitlist.”   

Jordan points out that CHH’s rental model is legislated by the provincial government, so the rents are affordable. “There are various types of rental models in Alberta’s not-for-profit sector. Generally, housing is considered affordable if it costs no more than 30 per cent of a household’s gross income.  

“And since social housing is a rent-geared-to-income model based on that formula, near-market housing is slightly lower than market rent with a mid-income target population. Market housing is the standard going rate based on whatever the market will bear. 

“In a city where property values are increasing, property taxes are increasing, and mortgage/lending rates are uncertain, market rents are becoming less and less affordable,” she says. “Seniors and young fledglings tend to experience the greatest impact of the elevated rents because their income tends to be extremely limited.” 

Fawcett notes that the scarcity issue specific to Calgary senior housing has worsened in the past decade, mostly due to a lag in new construction of purpose-built rentals. “The existing Calgary social housing infrastructure for seniors is fast becoming outdated, with most facilities being more than 35 years old.” 

In many ways, the conventional real estate market mirrors the trending Calgary’s senior living story. “Far more people need affordable housing than what is available,” Jordan says.  

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