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Alberta government develops interim housing for victims of the Slave Lake wildfires

slave lake interim housing alberta

                                                                                                                                              August 24, 2011

The Alberta government has developed a comprehensive housing plan to deliver up to 350 interim homes for the residents of the Slave Lake area.

The government has allocated $65 million to acquire, install and manage the homes on behalf of the Town of Slave Lake to allow families who lost their homes in the wildfires to return to the community as soon as possible.

The interim homes will be for the remaining displaced residents and families from both the Town of Slave Lake and the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. The housing units may be used for up to two years or more, while occupants’ homes are rebuilt.

Government is working to procure the housing units and has hired local contractors to begin clearing and servicing the sites. Some sites will be ready for housing units in September and others will become available in the coming months.  

Of the approximately 730 households displaced by the wildfires, nearly 300 have found alternate accommodations through the provincial Emergency Accommodation Program or on their own. For the remaining approximately 400 households, the Alberta government is working to procure up to 350 interim housing units, which will include duplex units, to provide interim housing to approximately 400 households.

The government is developing three parcels of land for these units and has hired local contractors to clear brush and bring in backfill to establish a base and help reduce the likelihood of flooding in low lying areas.

Services for gas, electricity, phone, water, and sewer also need to be installed before the interim housing units can be placed onsite. The delivery, set-up, installation and occupancy of the units will be staged over four to six weeks, through to the end of the fall.

Interim housing schedule:

•    Lot 78 (The Municipal Reserve lands south of the old ball diamonds between Highway 2, 6th Ave SW and Caribou Trail) should be ready for 102 interim homes starting mid-September;
•    Lot 88 (Provincial Land east of Highway 88) should be ready for 140 interim homes starting mid-September;
•    Land on the old slow-pitch diamonds near Caribou Trail and 6th Ave SW will be cleared and serviced for 94 permanent homes. Units will be ready for occupancy starting mid-November; and
•    The remainder of the interim homes will be located within the Municipal District and ready for occupancy beginning later this month.

More information including a subdivision plan to show families where they will live will become available later in August and will be posted online at www.slavelakerecovery.com.

On behalf of the provincial government, the Housing Coordination Office with the Lesser Slave Lake Regional Housing Authority is currently contacting approximately 400 households who lost their homes and still may need interim housing. The households are being contacted to confirm the number of family members and their housing needs, such as number of bedrooms. The information will be used to order the appropriate interim housing and then assign the units to households based on their needs.

In general and in consultation with the Town and MD, priorities for the interim housing are first, families with school-aged children, followed by families with preschool-aged children, then couples and singles. Residents can move into units as they become available and will pay monthly rent based on pre-fire rates $1,000 for a two-bedroom, $1,200 for a three-bedroom, and $1,250 for a four-bedroom).

Residents not yet contacted by the Housing Coordination Office with the Lesser Slave Lake Regional Housing Authority by August 10th are asked to call the centre, 780-849-4505. As delivery dates are scheduled, the Housing Coordination Office will provide households with details on where and when they can move into the interim housing.

In the past five months, announced funding for housing assistance in the region now totals approximately $76 million to assist about 550 households (around 180 households made their own arrangements). The funding is based on approximately:
o    $65 million for interim housing for about 400 displaced households. This includes $9 million for the Town of Slave Lake to service a permanent manufactured home community on the old slow-pitch diamonds (near Caribou Trail and 6th Ave SW.)
o    $5 million for the Emergency Accommodation Program for about 100 households; and
o    $6 million for interim housing for the first 50 essential workers and their families.

For more information, go www.slavelakerecovery.com.

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