Our partners in the fight against homelessness
Calgary’s homelessness response extends far beyond any single organization. From governments to frontline agencies, shelters to housing providers, and Indigenous organizations to community partners, we work together to create a coordinated system that transforms individual efforts into lasting solutions.
We collaborate with governments
We work in close alignment with federal, provincial, and municipal partners, whose investments are the foundation of everything we do. These relationships enable us to serve as a trusted bridge between policy intentions and ground-level action, ensuring government priorities translate into outcomes that maximize the impact of every dollar and every resource in Calgary’s homelessness response.
Who we fund
Through strategic partnerships with frontline agencies across Calgary, we help maximize the impact of our collective resources. Together, we create lasting pathways out of homelessness for adults, youth, and families–anyone experiencing homelessness in our city.
Adults
Adults make up the majority of people experiencing homelessness in Calgary. Through our agency partners, we provide coordinated access to supportive housing and wraparound services that address the complex challenges adults face, from trauma and addiction to employment barriers, helping them find lasting pathways to independence.
Agencies
- Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary
- Accessible Housing Society
- The Alex Community Health Centre
- Calgary Alpha House Society
- Calgary Dream Centre
- Calgary Drop-In Centre
- Centre for Newcomers
- CUPS Calgary Society
- Distress Centre Calgary
- Journey Church Calgary
- McMan Youth, Family & Community Services
- Mustard Seed (Calgary)
- Salvation Army Calgary
- SHARP Foundation
Youth
Youth aged 13-24 experiencing homelessness often face unique challenges including family conflict, violence, and barriers to education and employment. Our youth-focused programs provide specialized supports that recognize young people are still developing physically, emotionally, and socially, with particular attention to supporting Indigenous youth who are overrepresented in the homeless population.
Families
Families experiencing homelessness may face challenges including low income, domestic violence, or separation. Our family programs prioritize keeping children and families together while providing coordinated support that addresses housing, childcare, education, and safety needs to help families achieve stable, independent living.
We partner with community stakeholders
Calgary’s homelessness response extends beyond traditional service providers to include diverse community touchpoints where people experiencing homelessness intersect with city systems. We work with healthcare workers, recovery coaches, police, justice system partners, housing providers, researchers, and other stakeholders around shared outcomes, creating alignment that transforms individual efforts into unified solutions addressing homelessness from every angle.
Our housing partners
Every new supportive housing project requires two types of investment: upfront capital for construction and sustained funding for ongoing operations, including programming that helps people maintain their housing and wellness. Partnerships are essential for these transformative projects.
Calgary Homeless Foundation and HomeSpace share a unique, collaborative approach to fight homelessness. HomeSpace provides safe, affordable housing and brings deep expertise in housing management. CHF ensures the operational funding needed for on-site services and supports that help tenants thrive—and adds our expertise in system planning and allocating dollars for the right support services. When HomeSpace opens a new building or has space available, their first call is to CHF. Using a system-wide lens, CHF identifies who the building should serve and what type of housing will have the greatest impact. This partnership model is intentionally designed to meet the most pressing needs in our community.
Our partners’ stories
Every day, our frontline agency partners deliver exceptional work that transforms lives and creates pathways out of homelessness. Their dedication and expertise make lasting change possible for Calgarians experiencing homelessness.
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Success Story – Providence
Success Story – Providence
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Success Story – Norris House
Success Story – Norris House
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Success Story – Homes for Health
Success Story – Homes for Health
What our partners are saying
The Alex’s CHF-funded programs have greatly appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with CHF’s Evaluation Manager in developing a programmatic Theory of Change across our five funded initiatives.
This process has helped each program more clearly define its core objectives, articulate the key activities required to achieve them, and identify the necessary metrics, training, and outcomes to support success.
Steven Richardson
Director of Housing & Outreach The Alex
We deeply value our partnership with CHF. They embody a true partnership with their proactive and genuine approach, consistently coming to us asking, ‘How can we help?’
A stark contrast to the usual ‘What can you do for us?’ This spirit of true collaboration, desire to understand, and commitment to listening to and acting on our guidance is essential as we work together to support Calgary’s most vulnerable Indigenous populations.
Shane Gauthier
CEO of AFCC
MAGE is a helpful tool for our outreach teams to plan client appointments as it clearly shows camp locations and date and time last visited, which is a critical part of staying connected to the population of rough sleepers we work with.
The app’s share feature is also extremely helpful as it ensures we aren’t duplicating our response with other outreach teams and allows us to be more efficient with case planning and locating new clients. We appreciate CHF’s work in bringing this app to the forefront of the sector and in continuing to find new ways to coordinate a more collaborative response to outreach work in Calgary.
Alpha House’s Encampment Team
The transition from the Extreme Weather Response program to year-round Day Spaces marks a significant advancement in our collective efforts to address homelessness in Calgary.
This initiative reflects the strength of cross-sector collaboration and a shared commitment to supporting our most vulnerable citizens. These spaces will not only provide immediate relief and essential services but also serve as critical connection points to long-term housing and stability. Together, we are delivering meaningful progress and reaffirming our city’s commitment to equity, dignity, and opportunity for all.
Kay Choi
Director of Partnerships, The City of Calgary
G4 (Stoney Nakoda – Tsuut’ina Tribal Council Ltd.) was happy to partner with Calgary Homeless Foundation on the biennial enumeration and data collection for the 2024 Point in Time Count.
With G4 being the Community Entity for the Indigenous funding, collaboration with CHF has been a benefit to the citizens that find themselves living homeless in Calgary. This data reminds us of the need for commitment, continued action, and collaboration. While the numbers have not decreased overall, and Indigenous homelessness continues to be over-represented, we are heartened by the continued efforts of our First Nations Citizens, Governments, Calgarians, and our many partners who work to ensure our relatives continue to have opportunities to access safe, affordable, and dignified housing.
Chantelle Cardinal
Former Director of Reaching Home, G4 Tribal Council
As committed partners, we know the importance of working together to build a community where every individual is treated with compassion, respect and dignity.
Through collaboration and shared responsibility, we can help build a safer, more inclusive Calgary.
Calgary Police Service
Academic researchers have the time and training to apply new ideas and techniques to solving difficult problems of public policy.
What they don’t always have is access to information essential for developing and evaluating proposed solutions. Researchers at the School of Public Policy are extremely grateful for the relationship we have established with Calgary Homeless Foundation. The data they provide and the informed advice and criticism we receive are essential to our efforts to make useful contributions to the understanding of homelessness and to evaluating the effectiveness of possible policy responses.
Ron Kneebone
Director of Social Policy Research
Learn more about our role
We work at the intersection of systems and people, coordinating Calgary’s fight against homelessness.
