Housing Affordability in Edmonton: A Report on Challenges to Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

This report examines the escalating housing affordability crisis in Edmonton, Canada, and its direct implications for the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on case studies of low-income families, the report highlights systemic challenges that undermine SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). While municipal agencies are working to expand housing availability, a significant gap remains between supply and demand, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.

Analysis of Housing Insecurity and its Impact on SDGs

Challenges to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

The lack of affordable housing is a primary driver of poverty and exclusion, directly contravening the objectives of SDG 1 and SDG 11.1, which call for access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing for all.

• Income Disparity: Residents face severe financial strain, with rental costs consuming the majority of their income. One family with a monthly income of $2,300 spends $2,000 on rent, leaving insufficient funds for other basic needs.
• Rising Costs: The Edmonton census metropolitan area experienced a nearly 26% increase in average rental costs between October 2021 and August 2025.
• Legislative Gaps: Alberta is one of four provinces without rental control legislation, permitting landlords to implement discretionary rate increases, which contributes to housing instability.
• Systemic Overload: Civida, Edmonton’s primary affordable housing provider, has a waitlist of over 10,000 applicants and receives 700 new applications each month, indicating a systemic failure to meet community needs.

Impact on SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

The housing crisis disproportionately affects marginalized groups, including women, single-parent households, and large families, thereby exacerbating existing inequalities and hindering progress on SDG 5 and SDG 10.

1. Vulnerability of Women: The report highlights the precarious situations of women, particularly single mothers, who navigate financial hardship with limited support systems. A single mother of five relies on an $1,836 monthly income assistance payment to cover an $1,800 rent, illustrating extreme financial vulnerability.
2. Inadequate Infrastructure for Large Families: There is a critical shortage of subsidized housing units with four or more bedrooms. This structural deficit prevents large families from accessing affordable housing, with some waiting over five years for placement.
3. Impact on Youth: Economic pressure forces dependents to enter the workforce prematurely. The case of a 16-year-old seeking employment to support her family underscores the intergenerational consequences of housing insecurity, which can affect educational attainment and future economic mobility (related to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Mitigation Efforts and Future Outlook

Current Housing Support Systems

Civida provides two primary forms of assistance aimed at addressing the housing crisis in alignment with SDG 11.

• Community Housing: Residents pay a fixed rental rate of 30% of their income, a model that ensures affordability.
• Rent Assistance Benefit: A subsidy is provided to eligible individuals in private rental housing to make market-rate units more affordable.

Strategic Developments for Sustainable Communities

Investment in new infrastructure is underway to increase the supply of affordable housing units.

• A mixed-income building featuring 132 units, including 20 dedicated community housing spaces, is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2027.
• Construction on two additional affordable housing buildings is planned to begin next year.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues related to urban living, poverty, and social welfare, which directly align with a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The following SDGs are addressed:

• SDG 1: No Poverty: The article’s central theme is the financial struggle of families due to high housing costs. It provides case studies of individuals like Fatiha Al Havoush and Anood Alhousien, whose rent consumes almost their entire monthly income, leaving them with little to no money for other basic necessities like food and school supplies. This financial precarity is a direct dimension of poverty.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article prominently features the stories of two single mothers, Fatiha Al Havoush and Anood Alhousien, who are disproportionately affected by the housing crisis. Anood Alhousien’s plea, “They should help single women more like me,” underscores the gendered nature of poverty and housing insecurity, highlighting the unique vulnerabilities faced by women, particularly single heads of households.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: A connection to this goal is made when the article discusses Anood Alhousien’s 16-year-old daughter’s attempt to find a job to support the family. Her search is hindered by “Canada’s worst youth unemployment rate in more than a decade,” linking the family’s financial hardship directly to broader economic issues of youth unemployment.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article implicitly and explicitly discusses inequalities. It points out the specific challenges faced by vulnerable groups, including large families who cannot find suitably sized homes, single mothers, and immigrants like Anood Alhousien, who notes, “I’m in a foreign country and there’s no one who can help me.” The lack of rent control legislation in Alberta is also mentioned, a policy gap that can exacerbate inequality between landlords and low-income tenants.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: This is the most prominent SDG in the article. The entire piece revolves around the challenge of accessing affordable, adequate, and safe housing in an urban center (Edmonton). It details the long waitlists for subsidized housing, rising rental costs, the inadequacy of current housing stock for large families (“cramped” conditions), and concerns about “neighbourhood safety.”

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services.
   • This is the most direct target. The article is centered on the failure to provide affordable housing, with Fatiha Al Havoush paying $2,000 of her $2,300 income on rent and Anood Alhousien paying $1,800 of her $1,836+ income. The housing is also described as inadequate (“cramped”) and potentially unsafe (“worries about neighbourhood safety”).
2. Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions.
   • The article describes families living in poverty due to housing costs. Spending over 85% of income on rent, as the case studies show, pushes families below the poverty line, as they cannot afford other essentials. Anood Alhousien “often runs out of money before the end of the month” and owes a local grocery store $500.
3. Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all… and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.
   • The article discusses social protection systems like government-subsidized housing and rent assistance benefits provided by Civida. However, it demonstrates that these systems lack “substantial coverage,” evidenced by a waitlist of “more than 10,000 applicants” and wait times of up to five years.
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… origin, sex… or other status.
   • The article shows how the housing crisis leads to the social and economic exclusion of vulnerable groups. Immigrants (from Syria), single mothers, and large families are unable to secure stable, affordable housing, which is a fundamental requirement for social and economic inclusion.
5. Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
   • Although the target year has passed, the issue remains relevant. The article directly references this target by stating that a teenager’s job hunt “comes amid Canada’s worst youth unemployment rate in more than a decade,” illustrating a direct barrier to economic participation for young people.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article contains several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Proportion of income spent on housing: This is a key indicator for Target 11.1. The article provides specific figures: Fatiha Al Havoush spends approximately 87% of her income on rent, while Anood Alhousien spends nearly 100% of her base income assistance. This is starkly contrasted with the 30% of income paid by those in community housing, which is a common benchmark for affordability.
• Housing waitlist size and duration: An indicator for Target 1.3. The article states Civida’s waitlist has “grown in recent years to more than 10,000 applicants,” with “about 700 new applicants each month.” The wait time is also an indicator, with some clients “waiting for a placement five years after signing up.”
• Rate of increase in rental costs: An indicator for Target 11.1. The article cites a specific statistic: “average rental accommodation costs for all housing types in the Edmonton census metropolitan area rose nearly 26 per cent between October 2021 and August 2025.”
• Supply of adequate housing units: An indicator for Target 11.1. The article implies a deficit in the supply of adequate housing, especially for large families, noting that “the majority [of units] have three bedrooms or less.” Progress could be measured by the construction of new, larger units. The article mentions a new building with 132 units is under construction.
• Youth unemployment rate: A direct indicator for Target 8.6. The article explicitly mentions “Canada’s worst youth unemployment rate in more than a decade” as a measurable economic factor impacting the families.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: cbc.ca