{"id":70991,"date":"2026-06-02T09:06:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/70991\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:06:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:06:01","slug":"alberta-avenue-church-sets-sights-on-affordable-housing-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/70991\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta Avenue church sets sights on affordable housing market"},"content":{"rendered":"

A century-old church along Alberta Avenue is hoping to transform part of its land into an affordable housing project focused on seniors and families \u2014 and may soon have the funds to get started.<\/p>\n

With cracking foundations, St. Faith\u2019s Anglican Church is already going to have to rebuild much of the building. But with a new program launched by the City of Edmonton and Edmonton Community Foundation, the church is looking to enter the affordable housing market to provide living spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is not necessarily to proselytize people, our mission is to be neighbourly,\u201d said Rev. Travis Enright. \u201cOur mission is to care, to show love and compassion. The way we do that is making sure our buildings are used for that. Not just on Sunday. What is the church doing the rest of the week? It\u2019s reanimating these spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using the city\u2019s Faith Lands Affordable Housing Incentive <\/a>\u00a0to assess the building, Enright said he\u2019s hoping to take down much of the building \u2014 while keeping the inner sanctum \u2014 and use the land and parking lot to build a five storey multiplex to house 40 families. Residents will not only have affordable rent, they will also be a stone\u2019s throw away from the church and the services it provides.<\/p>\n

Of its $2 million available, the Faith Lands incentive provides up to $135,000 for faith-based organizations to navigate the initial paperwork for a housing initiative, particularly the required feasibility and environmental studies which can eat up funds before a project is even approved.<\/p>\n

Building a community is important, said Enright, because of the loneliness epidemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want it so there\u2019s as much community engagement as possible,\u201d he said. \u201cSo people aren\u2019t living in isolation in boxes \u2014 they can come and have a whole set of experiences, engage their spirit, engage their physicality and their emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rev.<\/p>\n

Rev. Travis Enright, Rector, St. Faith\u2019s Anglican Church, led a tour St. Faith\u2019s Anglican Church, where the City of Edmonton will share details about a new partnership with Edmonton Community Foundation to help religious charities develop affordable housing on their lands on Monday, June 1, 2026.<\/p>\n

Faith-based organizations have been declining for decades, with 4,300 churches shutting down between 2009 and 2018 and another 9,000 expected to close by 2035. Many are re-assessing their roles in the community and trying to find new ways to contribute.<\/p>\n

Right at Home Housing Society executive director Marisa Redmond said she\u2019s helped two congregations with similar projects and encouraged more to get on board.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re building affordable housing, you\u2019re building it for the people who reside there,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re pairing this with a faith-based community you\u2019re building a microcosm in the community itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the opportunity to do community space along with the housing. These projects give that additional benefit to the community. There\u2019s tons of them out there we can do, and I think they can turn out really well if we invest the right amount of dollars and time into them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Applications are accepted through Edmonton.ca\/FaithLands <\/a>until the end of the year or the fund is used up. Projects are eligible for more funding through the city\u2019s affordable housing investment program, which will cover up to 25 per cent of the capital costs.<\/p>\n

ebowling@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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