Westwinds Communities Rent Supplement Program is getting a boost.

The program provides financial subsidies to low-income households to help with the cost of rent.

The additional $374,000 in funding is a 44 per cent budget increase.

Westwinds CAO Lauren Ingalls says it came at just the right time, with cost-of-living being at the forefront of many Albertans minds.

"It's been our experience looking at our existing clients, we've seen rental increases ranging from $50 to over $1,000 per month in the last year. We're happy that we're in a position to be able to provide some additional support."

"We've gone back, and we've evaluated, based on the changing rental climate in the last year, we've been able to increase our rental assistance amounts that are available to the community, and we have new funding available."

The program is only available to renters within a certain income gap and only covers a set region.

"There is an income threshold for households and there's a residency requirement. They have to have lived in the Foothills region or within the County of Vulcan of the MD of Willow Creek all the way down to Claresholm for the last six months," says Ingalls.

The income thresholds and amount of available rental assistance vary depending on the municipality and size of the dwelling.

More information on the program can be found on the Westwinds Communities website.