As the price of Calgary housing has risen, the availability of low- and off-market accommodation has fallen. More and more Calgarians are paying far too much for housing, or unable to find anything at all they could afford. And the number of homeless people on city streets has grown significantly.

This situation is simply unacceptable in a community as prosperous as Calgary. So Mayor Bronconnier and Council have launched an 'all fronts', shared responsibility effort to solve – not merely manage – the problem.

On 25 May 2009 Council approved the Attainable Homeownership Program. This program will create 1,000 homes for working families. With a waiting list at Calgary Housing Company of 3,765 households, this program will help generate vacancies in rental and subsidized housing accommodation by providing opportunities for those households to purchase a home. Families moving into attainable homeownership will be able to build equity in their home to help create a more secure future for themselves and their children.

The Attainable Homeownership Program is based on a model used successfully in the U.S. and Europe. Click here to view a clip from Home and Hands, a video produced by Groundspark. It is an inspiring documentary where low-income residents have found an empowering way to realize their dream …owning a home.

Nov 30, 2009: Council approves the business plan for Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation, the wholly owned subsidiary of The City of Calgary set up to implement the attainable home ownership program.