• Tenant earning $112,000 living in subsidized housing
• Other tenants earning between $47,000 and $83,000
• CTF calls for audit of Heart River Housing and Alberta Social Housing Corporation

CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) today showing that medium-to-high income earners are using taxpayer-subsidized social housing intended for the poor. The CTF filed the FOI with Heart River Housing (HRH) after an anonymous whistler blower came forward.

The CTF’s documents show that there is currently one tenant with an annual income of over $112,000 living in social housing, one tenant with an income over $82,500, and seven tenants with incomes between $46,800 and $56,000.

“These documents strongly suggest that a system intended to help the poorest in society is being gamed and that some people are allowing it to be gamed,” said CTF Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt. “We need a full audit of Heart River Housing and the Alberta Social Housing Corporation (ASHC) to determine the extent of this practice, as well as a review of income-cut off levels.”

(A) Non-electrical utilities included

HRH claims that some of the units that it manages have vacancies that they cannot fill, and so rent the units out to those not in need, such as a tenant earning $112,000 a year in Drewville, who has enjoyed social housing for 12 years.

“Twelve years is a rather long time to be filling a temporary vacancy. If there are units that cannot be filled by the needy, then it should have occurred to Heart River Housing and the ASHC to sell these units,” continued Fildebrandt.

Click here for a backgrounder on real estate in areas operated in by HRH.

Fildebrandt also drew attention to the one tenant with an income over $82,500 and seven tenants with incomes between $46,800 and $56,000 who have lived in their subsidized units for an average of more than five years.

“If you’re making over $47,000 you’re not rich, but you certainly aren’t so poor that you need taxpayer-subsidized housing. Living in subsidized housing for five years isn’t filling a temporary vacancy,” said Fildebrandt. “An income cut-off that can go as high as $89,500 is far too generous for taxpayers to be paying for.”

Heart River housing received $2.5 million in provincial taxpayer funding in 2012 and $11.2 million since 2009.

You can download the full Freedom of Information request here.

You can view a backgrounder on HRH real estate and income cut-off levels here.