Seniors' housing in Calgary among most expensive in Canada, report finds

Seniors in Calgary are faced with some of the most expensive housing in the country, a national organization says.

The report by the Canadian Federation of Municipalities (CFM)says the average monthly rent at purpose-built seniors' residencesis about $3,100.

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That's $1,000 more than the Canadian average, behind only Victoria, the greater Vancouver area and Surrey.

And it'sthree times more than rent for an average Calgary apartment, according to the report,Seniors and Housing: The Challenge Ahead.

Nationally, rent at publicly-fundedseniors' residences is two and a half times the cost of rent on the private market, the report says.

The CFM also says Ottawa's annual contribution of $1.6 billion for social housing is scheduled to expire over the next 20 years.

Calgary Senior Shirley Borak says every year, it gets tougher to make ends meet.

"Well, where I live I've had an increase twice in two years and nothing seems to go down," she said.

"It always goes up. And our pensions don't go up. So it's not a good situation, you know. In another couple of years I'll have to move in with my daughter I think."

The federation's report alsowarns that Canada faces a looming crisis, with the number of seniors in Canada set to double from 2011 levels by 2036, while federal support for seniors' housing dwindles.

"I'm not too surprised at the numbers at all," said Catherine Fallon, a manager with the Calgary Senior's Resource Society.

She says waitlists for affordable housing are growing in Calgary.

"We don't have enough seniors' accommodation that's low-cost senior's accommodation right now."

But Fallon says the city is working to address the problem. It recently adopted a strategy to address the aging population and one of its goals is to increase the supply of affordable housing for seniors.