High turnover cost adds to Saskatoon low-income housing vacancy rate: Sask. Housing
The Saskatchewan Housing Corporation opened the doors to four units on Tuesday, giving both an indication of how many low-income housing units in Saskatoon are vacant as well as the work that goes into maintaining the spaces.
President of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Louise Michaud says there is a 13 per cent vacancy rate in Saskatoon, or 310 total family and senior units.
“Some of them are in the process of being turned over,” Michaud said of the vacancies.
Homelessness has been an ongoing problem in Saskatoon, but Michaud says these social housing units are designed for people able to live more independently.
“When you're looking at people who are homeless and who have more complex needs that relate to addiction and mental health, we try to find opportunities to coordinate wraparound services so that we can see people successfully housed,” she said.
There are also specifications that some families are looking for.
“Although we have people that are looking for housing, they might not want to live in a specific neighbourhood where we have vacancies available at any given time,” she said.
“We might have small units available but we're waiting for units for a larger family.”
Michaud says tenants will pay 30 per cent of their pre-tax income.
The non-rent ready family unit shown to the media on Tuesday was in need of $10,000 in repairs.
“As you've seen today, depending on the amount of work it takes to get a unit rent-ready it might be vacant for either just a month, it might be vacant for a few months in order for repairs to be made in for it to have it brought back to rent ready,” she said.
The unit had been abandoned, which Michaud says doesn’t happen very often.
“Our main goal is to get people who are low-income housed, and housed appropriately and affordably,” she said.
“Those people would remain with a debt owing and we do take steps to collect those debts, but if those people, for example needed housing, we'd work with them on a repayment plan. We don't want to see families unhoused.”
During a tour on Monday in Regina, housing units had been broken into and had copper wire stolen, which Michaud says doesn’t happen as often in Saskatoon.
Approximately $1.3 million is dedicated to renovating and refreshing the 18,000 low-income housing units around Saskatchewan, and Michaud says the cost is generally spread evenly across the province.
“For tenant turnover the average cost to turn over a unit in in Saskatchewan is between $6,000 to $7,000,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
23 vehicles towed, dozens of tickets issued as rally marks one-year anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa
OPS and Ottawa Bylaw officers issued 192 parking tickets and 67 Provincial Offences Notices in downtown Ottawa this weekend, as people gathered marked the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy'.

'COVID is not done,' Canadian infectious disease expert says ahead of WHO announcement
While RSV and flu cases steadily decline in Canada, the World Health Organization is set to announce on Monday whether it still considers COVID-19 a global health emergency, but one infectious disease specialist says we still need to keep an eye on the coronavirus.
YouTube star MrBeast helps 1,000 blind people see again by sponsoring cataract surgeries
YouTube superstar MrBeast is making the world clearer -- for at least 1,000 people. The content creator's latest stunt is paying for cataract removal for 1,000 people who were blind or near-blind but could not afford the surgery.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion dies at 101
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
'24,' 'Runaways' actor Annie Wersching has died at 45
Actor Annie Wersching, best known for playing FBI agent Renee Walker in the series '24' and providing the voice for Tess in the video game 'The Last of Us' has died. She was 45.
Ukrainian kids find cellphone signal on hill, set up makeshift school
On a bleak, windswept hillside in northeast Ukraine, three young boys recently discovered a cell phone signal, something difficult to find in their region since Russia invaded their country. and they've set up a makeshift school around the signal.
Russian teen faces years in jail over social media post criticizing war in Ukraine
A Russian teenager must wear an ankle bracelet while she is under house arrest after she was charged over social media posts that authorities say discredit the Russian army and justify terrorism.
Father pushing Manitoba to follow Ontario, Saskatchewan in screening for CMV
Roughly one in 200 babies born in Canada today will have congenital cytomegalovirus, a virus that can lead to hearing loss, intellectual disability or vision loss. But with only two provinces screening newborns for CMV, one father is asking other health-care systems to do more.
Emotional prayer room ceremony marks 6th anniversary of Quebec mosque shooting
An emotional ceremony took place today marking the sixth anniversary of the Quebec City mosque shooting, held for the first time in the same room where many of the victims were killed. Six men died that night: Mamadou Tanou Barry, Ibrahima Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti were gunned down not long after evening prayers at the suburban Quebec City mosque.