Brandon families hunting for housing as city faces 1,300-unit shortfall

It's always a busy day in the Emerson household in Brandon. Phillip Emerson is a newlywed with a growing family, including baby Ellie and two-year-old Chloe. There's now six of them living in his two-bedroom apartment. We need to be able to have a comfortable space for everybody, right? So it's a challenge. It's frustrating. Emerson says they've been looking for appropriate housing for almost two years. He has cerebral palsy, so it needs to be wheelchair accessible while being kid-friendly. He's not alone in the hunt for a home. The Construction Association of Rural Manitoba says the city is about 1,300 units short. Executive Director Sean Wood says developers are racing to catch up with demand while dealing with a labor shortage and rising costs. But they're knocking down old builds to make room for around 500 new units. We know as we're building, especially multi-unit rentals, before those buildings are complete, we're at 80% occupancy, 80% occupancy. So what that means is there is a need. As long as there's a need, we'll keep building. And the city is doing what it can to help. Brandon has tapped in to $6.2 million from the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund. Shannon Saltarelli, the city's Community Housing and Wellness Coordinator, says 950 new homes will be built over three years. We want to see Brandon grow, but that means we need to continue to accelerate housing. And I feel like now we have a really good understanding of the types of housing that we need. For now, the Emerson family's hunt for a new home remains elusive. We have some accessible apartments that have come up for rent, but there's $1,600 a month or $2,000 a month. And with a family, how is anybody going to afford that? Emerson's focus now is Giggles and Games with Ellie and Chloe. While they play, he's imagining their new home. Chelsea Kemp, CBC News, Brandon.