Vermilion & District Housing Foundation expands to several communities

The Vermilion & District Housing Foundation has begun a management amalgamation process that will become effective January 1.

The organization will now manage over 60 additional units in Wainwright, 13 units in Irma, four units in Chauvin, and complexes in Edgerton and Dewberry.

This is growth from serving 170 units between the lodge, manors and low-income housing in Vermilion, as well as 4 units in Islay.

The amalgamation will significantly increase their number of tenants and five times the diameter of kilometres for their service area.

“We’ve been managing multiple locations for 26 years in Vermilion, so we were very pleased to offer support to these other locations,” said board chair, Caroline McAuley.

McAuley said the new management zone will encompass the M.D. of Wainwright and County of Vermilion River (excluding Marwayne and Kitscoty because they are run out of Lloydminster).

Local positions were kept for maintenance including snow removal and lawn care, and for housekeeping for common areas.

Manager Paul Kim will be able to operate under one business plan to determine future work that may need done or how to reach optimal occupancy.

The Vermilion Valley Lodge is currently operating with an approximate 20 per cent vacancy. They are now promoting locally and will begin promoting as far as Edmonton in December.

Following the amalgamation the VDHF will see cost savings because each location will no longer have to submit a separate business plan to the government or need individual audited financial statements.

“It is streamlining,” said McAuley.

“There will be so many opportunities for us all to find efficiencies in purchasing or in training, for providing vacation coverage and all around flexibility.”

In Wainwright, the housing management body, The Lions Management Group, was managed by a group of volunteers under the Lions Club, which is now dissolving. There will only be one tenant relations person remaining in Wainwright, where they previously would have had a finance and an administration person.

McAuley said that being part of a larger group will help all of the locations because they will now have a bigger voice.

She said that Senior’s Housing Advisor, Kelsey Radford, told residents that if they see any change it should be an improvement.