Some wonder if the company needs to spend more on becoming more recognizable
At least one resident of the affordable housing program questions why rebranding is needed.
David Bokurak, resident of the Calgary Housing Company, said he doesn’t think any more awareness about the company is needed.
“When I came into this place they told me it had been vacant for almost six months,” said Bokurak in an interview, “I used to be a landlord, I couldn’t afford to keep places empty for that long.”
Photo courtesy of the Calgary Housing Company websiteThe housing company operates and manages over 10,000 subsidized and affordable housing units in Calgary. These units include duplexes, townhouses, and high-rise apartments.
As of December 2012 there are 3,100 open applicants waiting for housing.
All applications are processed within the first several days and people are housed according to need. For example, if an individual was on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped and did not have a sufficient amount of income for the average rent of a Calgarian, they would be placed higher on the applicant list.
“If you have people waiting to rent a place, and you have places to rent, isn’t it your obligation to fill them up as quickly as possible?” Bokurak said.
The company met at their monthly meeting in January to discuss the progress on a new venture of creating a logo and website for the housing committee. The logo and website have since been released.
Darren Nimegeers is the communication director for the Calgary Housing Company. In a phone interview following the meeting, Nimegeers said that the company wishes to produce a new identity, and rebranding will help do that.
“We wanted to deliver a coherent look and feel to deliver a clear message, along with a professional presentation,” said Nimegeers.
Prior, the company used a marker with a box and three words above: Calgary Housing Company for their logo.
Ward 4 Ald. Gael McLeod is the chair of the Calgary Housing Authority committee backing the project. In a phone interview on April 5, McLeod said she believed the logo and website would help create a more positive feel towards the company.
McLeod said she believes the website will make the housing company easier to navigate, and to help the public understand accessible housing better.
McLeod said: “We are a strong believer of integrating people. This will be associated with a positive feeling to raise awareness of what we do in the community.”
Bokurak has his own opinion: “They’re well known enough. People need to rent, and they have the places to be rented. It’s just about money.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated there were 31,000 applicants waiting for housing. The actual number is 3,100. The Calgary Journal regrets the error.