Affordable housing and access to wraparound supports are now available for young single mothers and their children, as well as seniors living in Calgary.
Hope Heights, the latest project by Homespace, is a four-storey building in the northwest community of Crescent Heights with 35 units to provide safe and stable housing for vulnerable populations, with a focus on Indigenous communities. Ten of the units will be home to vulnerable young mothers and their children.
The building offers an intergenerational housing model aimed at reducing isolation, promoting health and improving the well-being of all residents.
“I want you to think about what it would be like for a young mother who’s uncertain about her future to hear from someone with experience, ‘You’re going to be alright,’ and I want you to consider how a senior who has no kin in the city will all of a sudden become part of a family through this project,” Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said.
“The compassion and kindness of housing projects like this is truly a testament to the collective belief that everyone matters, and every life deserves to be lived with dignity.”
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Highbanks Society and McMan Youth, Family and Community Services of Calgary will provide support services, including cultural programming, mentorship and life skills training supported by case-management workers who will be onsite during the day.
The building is opening as Calgary continues to struggle with a housing crisis, highlighting the need for affordable homes in the city, especially heading into winter.
“Thirty-five units in the middle of a housing crisis so it feels like a drop in the bucket, but 35 units is better than no units,” says Bernadette Majdell, Homespace Society CEO.
“So, it really puts the pressure on for us to build more and more frequently because in the foreseeable future we will continue to have such a high demand for housing.”
Hope Heights is the final project of the 2012 RESOLVE campaign that saw Calgary homebuilders, non-profits, and government raise $75 million for affordable housing in the city.
The building is run by Homespace, in collaboration with Highbanks Society and McMan Youth, Family and Community Services of Calgary.
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