Jasper seniors wait for temporary housing in Hinton

CTV News

4 days ago

Workers assess, repair and rebuild as residents return to Jasper on Monday, August 19, 2024. Alberta's social services minister says $112 million earmarked for 250 new permanent homes in Jasper, Alta., is off the table if Parks Canada and the local government continue to pursue a different vision for the town's post-wildfire rebuild. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
About a dozen seniors displaced by the 2024 Jasper wildfires are waiting to move into interim housing while their homes at Pine Grove Manor in Jasper are rebuilt.
The seniors are currently staying at Pine Valley Lodge in Hinton, but are waiting for shovels to break ground across the street where the province is building interim housing for the seniors.
Kristen Chambers, the chief administrative officer of the Evergreen Foundation, said Pine Valley Lodge is often used to help evacuated communities by hosting seniors at the facility.
The Evergreen Foundation manages several subsidized seniors housing facilities across the province.
While some seniors are settling into their temporary homes in Hinton, others have had to be housed in other communities further from their Jasper base.
Chambers said one senior had to be housed in Edmonton.
seniors
Seniors of the burned-down Pine Grove Manor in Jasper are seen in this supplied photo.
'They miss home. Many have their kids there, their doctors there. That's where they've lived for generations,' Chambers told CTV News Edmonton.
On the one-year anniversary of the Jasper wildfire, many seniors are reaching out to Evergreen to see when they can come back home. Some are requesting to be put on a list to get into Hinton so they can be closer to Jasper.
'It's a tough, tough struggle,' said Chambers.
The province committed $18 million to provide interim housing for Pine Grove Manor residents displaced by the fires.
A statement from the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services said the procurement of the modular homes is complete and the homes are in the process of being manufactured.
Housing will consist of 21 individual modular homes with kitchen, full baths and porches. Sixteen of the homes will be one-bedroom dwellings and five will have two bedrooms.
Press secretary Amber Edgerton said a geotechnical survey on the site is complete. Site, design and construction plans are in the process of being finalized.
'We are working towards having the modular homes on-site later this summer, so residents can move into their new homes this fall,' said Edgerton's statement.
Hinton has seen a steady stream of Jasperites settling in the town since the fire.
'Houses are going fast and there's a lot of activity in the real estate market,' said Chambers, who is also a Hinton councillor.
Council is exploring infill options and identifying public land that could be used for homes.
Chambers expects her town will be feeling knock-on effects from the Jasper wildfire for years to come.