Edmontonians trying to get off the street will soon have a new place to call home.

Last week, the celebrated the grand opening of Homebase, a 26-unit affordable housing project designed to fill a gap in the Edmonton rental market by offering one-bedroom and bachelor suites to low-income singles and couples.

“In the rental market there is a real gap,” says Susan McGee, executive director of Homeward Trust Edmonton. “This is one project of many that we’re funding that is really going to fill that gap in the plan to end homelessness.”

The project cost $4.8 million to build. Homeward Trust provided $1.1 million, with inner-city organizations and the municipal and provincial governments making up the rest.

Monthly rent in the new walk-up apartment complex will range from $440 for a bachelor suite to $535 for a one-bedroom suite, making it more affordable for residents who were recommended for the limited space by inner-city agencies.

Tenants will have access to an in-building support network to assist them as they continue to deal with health and substance abuse issues common among people trying to get off the street.

However, not everyone is happy with the construction of affordable housing in their neighbourhood, says McGee.

For some, affordable housing projects carry the stigma of bringing a so-called sinister element into established neighbourhoods. McGee feels this suspicion arises in part because low-income housing often looks cheap in contrast to the surrounding community.

 “We don’t want people to be housed in buildings that in some ways stigmatize them and maybe negatively impact the community,” she says.

Though McGee describes the units inside as “modest” and “modestly furnished,” she says no expense was spared on the exterior of the building, which she says compares to any new rental development in the city.

Tenants are expected to be able to move into Homebase next month.