| Nov 2006 | ||
| MLA Legislature Report Alana DeLong, MLA Child Care Consultation Results Delivered To Federal Government : I would like to thank all those who responded to the survey I mailed in August. Qualified staff, affordable child care and facility space must all be in place if more child care spaces are to be created in the province. Your input is important to help us find solutions on child care space creation. The consultation report is available online at www.child.gov.ab.ca/ childcareconsultation2006. New Funding To Provide Relief To 600 Families With Critical Housing Needs: Thanks to a $2 million increase in funding to the province's rent supplement program, an additional 600 low-income households will receive much needed assistance in covering their monthly rent. Housing management bodies located throughout the province administer the rent supplement program and assess the needs of applicants based on their personal circumstances, including the percentage of income currently spent on rent, number of dependents, overcrowding or health issues in their current accommodations and whether the situation is an emergency. The program provides funds directly to private landlords to cover the difference between market rent and 30% of a household's income. Seniors and Community Supports will work with the local management bodies to identify those families in critical need, as well as those landlords with rental accommodations who are able to participate in the program. This information will determine how the funding is allocated. This $2 million increase brings total spending on the rent supplement program to $19 million this year, an increase of $4 million or 27 per cent over last year. The 600 newly-funded households are in addition to the 4,000 households and 5,900 Albertans already benefiting from the program. The province has also committed $114 million this year for homelessness initiatives, family and special purpose housing and for new affordable housing projects. Public Consultations Please visit http://www.gov.ab.ca/home/Index.cfm?Page=625
and provide your input to matters that affect Albertans.
|
||