OP-ED: No One Should Have to Struggle to Live Because They Can’t Find Accessible Affordable Housing
This National AccessAbility Week, Accessible Housing is spotlighting a sobering reality: Alberta’s housing crisis continues to push people with disabilities to the margins. Too few homes are both accessible and affordable, leaving many in unsafe, unsuitable, or institutional settings.
In a recent op-ed, we share how thousands of Albertans with physical disabilities are struggling to find housing that meets their needs. With Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) capped at $1,787/month and average Calgary rents approaching $1,700 for a one-bedroom, there’s little left for food, medication, or mobility-related upgrades. Meanwhile, just 2 to 3 percent of affordable units in Calgary and Edmonton are fully accessible.
This is more than a supply issue—it’s a human rights crisis. Inaccessible homes risk the health, safety, and independence of people with disabilities. The lack of strong accessibility requirements in Alberta’s building code, combined with income supports that haven’t kept pace, has left far too many without a path to safe and dignified living.
The op-ed calls on all levels of government to act:
- Make accessible housing standard in all new developments
- Retrofit older buildings with proper funding
- Increase AISH and income supports
- Update the provincial building code to mandate accessibility
- Leverage municipal tools to fast-track and incentivize accessible builds
- Ensure MAiD policies do not become substitutes for housing or care
It also urges developers to adopt universal design from the start and partner with non-profits to meet real community needs.
Accessible housing is not a luxury. It’s essential for equality, autonomy, and dignity. Let’s honour National AccessAbility Week with bold action, not just awareness.
Read the full op-ed published at the Calgary Herald and share it to help us advocate for change.