CAHF launches winter giving campaign
CAHF launched its first public giving campaign in time for National Housing Day on November 22. The “Give the gift that opens doors” campaign goals are two-fold: to raise funds to help house vulnerable Calgarians, and to keep the spotlight on a crisis that affects one in five Calgarians.
“Every day in Calgary, there are Calgarians facing winter without a warm and safe place to call home,” said CAHF CEO Mike Meldrum. “We are launching this campaign at a time of year when those individuals and families facing housing insecurity are more challenged than ever with holidays, colder temperatures and longer nights.”
CAHF is asking supporters to provide a donation and/or engage with the online campaign by commenting and sharing with friends, colleagues and families. CAHF is now active on LinkedIn and Instagram (@cahf.yyc) and we are working to grow our audiences and engage more Calgarians in achieving the vision of ensuring everyone in Calgary has a place to call home. CAHF is partnering with three affordable housing providers in the campaign: Silvera for Seniors, HomeSpace and Onward. CAHF is currently fundraising with those partners for three non-market affordable housing projects in Livingston, Evergreen and Currie.
“Seniors make up just 13 percent of Calgary’s population, yet they represent 23 percent of the 85,000 households in housing need,” said Kyle Fawcett, CEO, Silvera for Seniors. “This is proof that far too many of our parents, grandparents and neighbours are facing hard choices about where they can live with dignity. But this reality is also a powerful call to action, reminding us that together we can build a community where every senior has the safety, stability and respect they deserve. Silvera’s collaboration with CAHF represents a transformative solution for Calgary’s seniors.”
“It will take all of us together to meet our city’s need for housing,” said Bernadette Majdell, CEO, HomeSpace. “Supporting CAHF means standing with HomeSpace and other organizations who are all working to ensure more people have a place to call home, sooner.”
"A safe and stable home is the foundation for well-being, and every Calgarian deserves one,” added Martina Jileckova, CEO of Onward. “Through our partnership with CAHF and the generosity of donors, we can accelerate our mission to create more affordable homes where people can thrive. This National Housing Day, I encourage you to support this campaign and help us address the affordable housing gap in our community."
CAHF evolved out of the former RESOLVE campaign, and has a goal of raising $30 million over the next five years and building 750 homes. CAHF supports a Housing First approach and advocates for the city’s most vulnerable populations.
“If you are considering making a gift this holiday season, please consider CAHF,” said Mike Meldrum. “We know that together we can solve this crisis and give more families a place to call home.”
Learn more at: Thecahf.com
CAHF thanks you for your support as momentum builds
We are grateful to the community’s ongoing support of CAHF. Every week, there is a new development to celebrate, from a partner groundbreaking to a new donation. Momentum is building for CAHF, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support.
“The past year has been incredible for CAHF,” said CEO Mike Meldrum. “The support that we’re seeing from donors and community is indicative of Calgary’s commitment to alleviating the housing crisis and helping more Calgarians find safe and affordable homes. We thank all of our donors, partners and community members for the collaboration and investment of time and funds. We will steward those dollars carefully and we look forward to accelerating more non-market housing builds.”
Recent milestones and celebratory moments include:
Onward broke ground on a new affordable housing development in Currie. CAHF is raising $3 million for the project. The project will bring 72 new mixed-income homes to the city. Located at 203 and 208 Calais Drive SW, the two-site development includes a four-storey apartment building with 62 units and a 10-unit townhouse complex, designed to be inclusive, sustainable, and integrated into the surrounding community.
“This groundbreaking is a milestone in building a stronger community,” said Martina Jileckova, CEO of Onward. “We are one step closer to welcoming new neighbours into a community where everyone belongs.”To read the full story, please visit the Onward website.
A local family foundation recently provided a gift of $350,000 for the Silvera Livingston expansion project. That project will see the construction of 16 units in a pet-friendly building. The units, three of which will be accessible, are for low to middle income seniors. CAHF is raising $640,000 for the project.
CAHF also received a $250,000 gift from Sharon Siebens recently. Sharon is a prominent philanthropist and community builder who has supported multiple causes across Calgary, including the University of Calgary and the United Way. “We are honoured and grateful to receive this gift and recognition of the CAHF vision to help every Calgarian find a place to call home,” said Mike Meldrum.
Onward breaks ground on a new affordable housing development in Currie
CAHF supports a Housing First approach to affordable housing.
Housing First is a phrase used in the affordable housing, homelessness and social services sector to define an approach to housing that prioritizes providing immediate access to permanent housing without pre-requisites such as sobriety or treatment compliance. Housing occurs first, and then support services are provided. According to the Homeless Hub, the underlying principles of Housing First is that “people are better able to move forward with their lives if they are fist housed. This is as true for people experiencing homelessness and those with mental health and addictions issues as it is for anyone. Housing is provided first and then supports are offered, including physical and mental health, education, employment, substance abuse and community connections.”
The City of Calgary has adopted a Housing First approach to address homelessness. Many of the affordable housing providers in the community also support Housing First approach, and reports from the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the University of Calgary demonstrate that this approach has shown success in housing people and reducing homelessness.
“We find that Housing First programs in Calgary have proven very successful in graduating people to permanent housing and reducing the number of people returning to homelessness,” concludes University of Calgary researchers in a report. “Fifty-five percent of clients enrolled in Housing First programs, many of whom are dealing with the debilitating effects of mental health challenges, substance abuse, and prolonged periods of homelessness, remained housed in Housing First programs or graduate to permanent housing…”
For more information on Housing First principles, visit: homelesshub.ca