A new update has been released regarding Fort Saskatchewan's latest affordable housing complex.
Due to supply chain issues, construction on the Muriel Ross Abdurahman Court is slightly behind schedule, but Heartland Housing Foundation anticipates opening the building in early 2023.
While applications have not yet opened, Heartland Housing Foundation has released details on eligibility requirements with the hopes of opening up the application process this fall.
Households interested in applying must provide 12 months of income statements for all sources of household income for anyone 15 years of age or older living in the home. Income includes all sources, including wages, benefits, AISH, refugee resettlement assistance, foreign income, family support, and pensions.
Eligibility for housing is based on an income threshold, and annual verifications will also be required to ensure ongoing household eligibility. Aside from the income requirements, any applicant or household member who appears on Alberta’s dangerous offender registry is disqualified from housing with Heartland Housing Foundation.
An applicant’s total annual household income must be under the amounts below:
- Bachelor: $36,000/yr.
- 1-Bedroom: $42,000/yr.
- 2-Bedroom: $52,500/yr.
- 3-Bedroom: $62,500/yr.
Applications will not be priority scored, meaning there will be no priority given to applicants with the lowest incomes.
Additionally, the pet policy for Muriel Ross Abdurahman Court has been released. Licensed service dogs are exempt from the requirements of this policy:
- One pet or cage/aquarium per household.
- A monthly fee will apply.
- Pets applicable under this policy include:
- One small dog (less than 16 kg., up to 40 cm at the shoulder),
- One cat,
- Up to 2 aquarium-dwelling animals. Limited to fish, salamanders, newts, turtles, toads, and lizards (no snakes or arachnids)
- or up to 2 caged rodents, lizards, newts, or small birds (no macaws or parrots)
- No pets that require live food.
- If you are applying to house a dog or a cat, they must be up to date on vaccinations, be spayed or neutered, and be licensed with the city/county.
- For approval, documentation of up-to-date vaccination status, spay/neuter, and valid license will be required.
Muriel Ross Abdurahman Court is named after the late mayor of Fort Saskatchewan, who spent six years as mayor in the 1980s before moving to provincial politics. She was responsible for incorporating Fort Saskatchewan as a city, constructing the railway bridge through the centre of town and monitoring air quality as a public safety measure.
The building is unique in combining different building materials, such as shipping containers for the main floor and traditional wood framing on the second, third, and fourth floors. It's also a net-zero project, meaning it will be self-sufficient and could potentially put energy back into the grid if it overproduces.
Construction of the building will cost just over $16-million.