Monthly Bulletin
February 2019
ACTIVE INITIATIVES AND EVENTS
BVRH Housing Needs Study
The consultant is currently incorporating all feedback and information collected during reviews of the draft report.
BVRH Policy Review
Senior management has conducted a full policy review. The board will review the recommended changes and additions in 2019.
Designated Supportive Living Operations Planning
Senior management has initiated comprehensive operational model development in collaboration with Alberta Health Services and other appropriate professionals in preparation of operations following the construction of Phase 2.
RATES OF OCCUPANCY
Bow River Lodge 95% occupancy
Cascade House 76% occupancy
Bow River Homes 100% occupancy
Mount Edith House 97% occupancy
Community Housing 100% occupancy
Rent Supplement 100% subscription
SPECIAL PROJECT: This is Home
Schedule:
PHASE 2: A selection process for a Design/Build Team is underway, with the original eleven proponents having now been narrowed to a primary candidate group. CAO expects the lead team to be formally engaged by Alberta Seniors and Housing before year end.
Design:
PHASE 2: This facility will be designed to meet the needs of designated supportive living level 4 and dementia operations, including enhanced safety and care-provision considerations. Alberta Health Services (AHS) has provided design guidelines that the facility must consider to secure a Designated Supportive Living (DSL) agreement, which is the goal to meet the current and future needs of the people of the region. Next steps include Project Approvals, Project Coordination, and negotiation of an Agreement with AHS. Expect a lead team to be engaged before the end of the year, at which point the design phase will begin in earnest.
Economics:
PHASE 2: The current capital cost range is estimated between $16 million and $19 million; the Government of Alberta has committed $16 million to date. BVRH is responsible for the furniture and equipment for the facility, which we will fund through a combination of fundraising and financing, including municipal requisition.
ABOUT BOW VALLEY REGIONAL HOUSING (BVRH)
BVRH is a Housing Management Body (HMB) for the Government of Alberta. Alberta’s HMBs were created to operate and administer provincially owned social housing facilities and programming. The Province holds an extensive portfolio of these facilities serving many vulnerable Albertans. Each HMB is self-governing under the Alberta Housing Act, managing these assets in their particular region, each of which encompasses multiple municipalities, improvement districts, etc. HMBs may operate other kinds of housing and own buildings that house accommodation programs.
Every municipality in Alberta is a contributing member of their regional HMB and is required to have at least one appointee on the governing board. HMB boards are responsible for acting in the best interests of the organization in consideration of the needs of the residents of each member municipality.
HMB operations are supported through various means. Tenants pay rent and/or lodge fees. These are set at affordable rates, so typically the revenues cannot cover the costs of operations. Seniors Lodge deficits are funded through municipal ratepayer requisitions and provincial grants. Social Housing deficits (including independent seniors housing and community housing) are funded by the province.
BVRH is responsible for social housing and affordable seniors’ supportive living accommodation serving Kananaskis Country, the Bow Corridor, the MD of Bighorn and Banff National Park, an area that covers approximately 13,500 square kilometres. The region has two towns and seven hamlets with a population of roughly 25,000. Our five contributing municipalities are Kananaskis ID, MD of Bighorn, Town of Canmore, Town of Banff and Banff National Park ID9. The people of the region are able to access all of the programs we offer, subject to eligibility requirements.
BVRH is a self-governing body. We collaborate with two provincial ministries and five municipal governments, along with numerous local and community agencies to provide and promote safe and appropriate housing to our region.
The BVRH Mission Statement
Bow Valley Regional Housing commits to provide accommodation services for the Bow Valley region seniors and residents of modest means who struggle to secure and maintain appropriate housing.
All told, we currently house, or help to house more than 400 residents of the Bow Valley in eight permanent housing projects encompassing 36 separate buildings.
We manage:
seniors’ lodges in Canmore and Banff that currently house up to 88 residents (an expansion project is underway at our lodge in Canmore that will bring designated supportive living to the region, which will provide appropriate accommodations to our most vulnerable seniors while alleviating pressures in local hospitals)
seniors’ independent housing buildings in Canmore and Banff that include 62 one-bedroom apartments
58 family housing residences in Canmore
the Rent Supplement Program in the region that currently provides financial assistance to approximately 40 Bow Valley households
We have some other great ideas!
Visioning is underway for the conversion of a 15-unit wing from lodge accommodation to seniors’ self-contained housing for low-income independent seniors, which will allow us to re-profile part of the Bow River Lodge site to increase the number of senior’s self-contained units, and add other affordable housing options.
The BVRH Vision Statement
Bow Valley Regional Housing aspires to collaborate with relevant entities to ensure that suitable programming that will mitigate the housing needs of our client base is available. We will:
Make decisions and recommendations using relevant and valid data regarding community trends and housing needs.
Obtain funding to develop infrastructure that meets identified needs for social and senior’s affordable housing programs.
Embrace operating principles that incorporate innovation, service excellence and best practices.
Attract and retain highly qualified and caring staff.
BVRH has approximately 40 employees based in either Bow River Lodge (Canmore) or Cascade House (Banff). Our Administration and Maintenance Teams are based in Canmore but serve all of our operations. We have Housekeeping and Food Service Teams in both of our lodges.
Information is available on our website at www.bvrh.ca
