VCC Weighs in on Transit Regulations, Housing Access, and Economic Challenges for Calgarians

Calgary’s Latest Policies on Transit, Housing, and Social Welfare

A powerful evening of connection and hope

Zine Fest: Building Enough for All Futures

Meaghon Reid emphasizes the urgency of addressing Calgary's affordability issue

Calgary's Housing and Food Crisis Top of Mind

Building bridges and sharing stories through zine creation and community connection

Join us in community during End Poverty Month  

Explore events and activities that honour truth and reconciliation

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Calgary

A timeline of policy and government actions in Canada, Alberta, and Calgary

How Policy Shapes Canada's Housing Crisis

The need for daytime spaces and the findings of the No Place To Go report

PODCAST: Examining Homelessness in Calgary

The federal government has recently posted the regulations on the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which takes effect in July 2025

Everything you need to know about the Canada Disability Benefit

I Can for Kids makes the case for targeted policies that address root causes of food insecurity 

Is it time for a new benefit for essentials? 

Policy and research specialist Lee Stevens toured London’s major social housing providers aiming to bring a new policy lens to Canada  

Social housing innovation across the pond  

VCC commented on housing prices and the Bank of Canada interest rate cut

Interest rate cut provides “a bit of a reason for optimism”

The complexities of supporting women and families  

PODCAST: Interventions and Supports for Domestic Violence

The need to design environments that listen to people’s needs with Jill Pable

PODCAST: Designing Trauma Informed Spaces

Meaghon Reid spoke about the economic impact of free transit for kids

Unclear if goals are being met in providing free Calgary Transit for kids: Briefing note

A rising tide lifts all boats, the need for gender inclusivity at work 

Queering the System: A Case for Inclusive Employment Policies  

Gain knowledge, make connections, take action 

Celebrating Indigenous history and culture  

Join us for E4A Zine Fest and experience art for social change

Making Decisions for the Future: Ending Poverty Once and for All

Adult Literacy and Foundational Learning 

Quadrant: SW
Population: 95,730
Households: 51,085
Total contacts to 211* for basic needs: 1,102

Low income demographics (percentage of people within the age group)

Gender wage gap (total female employment income as a % of male)

Differences in employment income between wards and the rest of the city

Average wage (Average employment income / 37.5 hours per week)

Housing affordability % of people who pay 30% or more for housing 

Average rents (average shelter cost of tenant households)

Residents from this ward shared the following ideas to help eliminate poverty from their community in 2021:

More amenities and services available within neighbourhoods, as well as affordable grocery stores and food programs

Provide more affordable recreation opportunities, as there have been closures

Increase funding for community schools and programs engaged in poverty reduction

More resources available seven days a week and during the day/evenings, as needed, and education about resources

Community engagement initiatives to fold transient residents into the community, such as a coffee shop or larger community garden

More affordable, inclusive housing options (e.g., group housing, pet-friendly, etc.), with landlords conforming to health and housing standards for safety

Funding to repurpose empty buildings, and convert commercial properties into affordable residential spaces

More free supports and resources for people experiencing mental health challenges, addiction and domestic violence

Enhance public spaces for better walkability and more active transportation options

More community events and engagement, and create more awareness of how people can help their community

Develop more programs for children, youth and their parents, as well as child development/early intervention programming

Ward 9 is located in southeast/northeast Calgary and includes the following communities: 

Albert Park/Radisson Heights, Applewood Park, Belvedere, Bridgeland/Riverside, Dover, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Inglewood, Manchester, Ogden, Penbrooke Meadows, Ramsay, Red Carpet, Renfrew, Southview, Twinhills 

These profiles were developed to equip the community with poverty-specific data related to Calgary’s 14 wards. This information can be used to stimulate debate and highlight poverty.

Ward 8: Poverty Profiles | Enough for All

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid connects with Lee Stevens, Policy and Research Specialist at VCC and Nick Falvo, a leading researcher on housing and homelessness to discuss the No Place To Go report, its findings and further actions that need to be taken to end homelessness in Calgary.   

Episode 29: Examining Homelessness in Calgary 

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid connects with Leslie Hill, Executive Director of Discovery House, about the realities of support provided to those affected by domestic violence, the need for trauma-informed care and the importance of policy changes to provide long-term support and prevention.  

Episode 28: Interventions and Supports for Domestic Violence 

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Lee Stevens connects with Jill Pable, a professor at Florida State University and creator of the non-profit, Design Resources for Homelessness, to discuss trauma informed design principles for homelessness. 

Episode 27: Designing Trauma Informed Spaces 

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid connects with Dr. Richard Lewanczuk, Edmonton-based endocrinologist and Senior Medical Director of Health System Integration for Alberta Health Services to discuss loneliness and its impacts on health and well-being. 

Episode 25: Fighting Loneliness for Well-being

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Lee Stevens connects with David MacDonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, to discuss his recent report on CEO pay in Canada, taxation and income inequality. 

Episode 24: Exploring Canada’s Growing Wealth Inequality

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Jaclyn Silbernagel connects with Inam Teja, a local advocate and policy expert working to shape the way we think about housing, homelessness and city-building in Calgary.

Episode 23: Changing the Conversation on Housing

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid sits down with mental health and addictions advocate Karen Gosbee to discuss the realities of domestic violence, the importance of systems working together to create wraparound supports and how we can shift the mental models surrounding mental health and addictions.

Episode 22: Shifting the Models of Support

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid sits down with Catriona Le May Doan, President and CEO of Sport Calgary,to talk about creating a Calgary where sport is accessible to all, breaking down barriers to provideequitable community sports programs and representation in sports. 

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Jaclyn Silbernagel connects with Elder Wanda First Rider to talk about Indigenous ways of knowing and being, the importance of ceremony and teachings, and her perspective on poverty and how everything we need is here.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Meaghon Reid chats with Anna Murphy, a community advocate for 2SLGBTQIA+ and women’s issues, about trans rights and the state in Alberta, the poverty statistics of trans individuals, how to create inclusive communities and what allyship truly looks like.

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel chats with Meaghon Reid, Executive Director of Vibrant Communities Calgary, about the state of poverty in Calgary, VCC’s Beneath the Surface report,  and what individuals can do in their spheres of influence to affect poverty reduction and build community wellbeing.

Episode 18: Looking Beneath the Surface of Poverty in YYC

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with Salimah Kassam, leader of Rise Calgary, to explore what it means to move from a scarcity to strength mindset, the concept of designing systems that create slack for people, and what some of the roadblocks are to shifting perspectives on poverty.

Episode 17: Shifting Mindsets – Scarcity to Strength

In this episode, Meaghon Reid sits down with Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, to explore what the role of business is in society, how that role is evolving, links between business and a healthy society, and the concept of shared prosperity.

Episode 16: Shared Prosperity – the Role of Business in Society

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with James Stauch, executive director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University, to explore social innovation and social purpose, and how systems mapping is a wayfinding tool that helps deepen one’s understanding of a problem.

Episode 15: Social Innovation, Mapping Systems & Building Trust

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with Jessica Cope Williams, Co-CEO of Kindred Connections Society, to explore how an organization’s name can act as a barrier to those trying to access services and what it means to be a connection first organization. 

Episode 14: Mental Health and Connection First Strategies

In this episode, VCC’s Meaghon Reid sits down with Steacy Pinney, CEO of Calgary Reads, to explore how Calgary Reads is spreading early literacy across Calgary through the Dandelion strategy, and the importance of literacy and prevention in the early years. 

Episode 13: Literacy & the Dandelion Strategy

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with Sarah Sinclair, a Lawyer who leads the Indigenous justice program Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas (Blackfoot for “Before Being Judged”) at Calgary Legal Guidance, to discuss creating equal access to justice for Indigenous people, how Indigenous Law brings healing, and the need for systemic change in the legal system.

Episode 12: Systemic Change – Indigenous People and the Legal System

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with Lee Stevens, policy and research specialist with Vibrant Communities Calgary to explore basic income. What a basic income could mean for Canadians and how it could have a positive impact on our social support systems.

In this episode, Jaclyn Silbernagel sits down with Lee Stevens, VCC’s policy and research specialist and this episodes’ co-host alongside Nevena Ivanovic, public policy coordinator with the Women’s Centre of Calgary and Andrea Cox, manager of government relations with YW Calgary. Together they discuss women and the economy, child care in Alberta, and what’s working in regards to policy.

Episode 10: Child Care, Women, and the Economy

In this episode, VCC’s Meaghon Reid sits down with the CEO of The Alex, Joy Bowen-Eyre, to explore what it means to provide dignified services, how food is a convenor and community builder, and how progress comes from investing energy into policy and advocacy. 

The content of the immediately following text, related report and summary page may contain potentially triggering content for trauma survivors.

Social Disorder on Calgary transit is happening at an alarming rate. Deaths associated with unintentional drug poisonings are on the rise—and are increasingly happening in public spaces, including on or around public transit. Transit environments are often referred to as “crime generators” and “crime attractors”—a harsh reality, yet one that can’t be ignored.

Vibrant Communities Calgary, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Calgary and a leading expert in housing and homelessness, examined more than 160 research papers; data on social disorder at train stations and deaths from substance use; and interviews people experiencing homelessness, transit workers, police officers, and community outreach staff to understand the factors contributing to social disorder on Calgary’s public transit system. No place to go broadens our understanding of how poverty intersects with justice issues, particularly in light of rising rates of homelessness, and outlines strategies for addressing these issues. 

Download a printer-friendly version of the report.

No place to go: Examining homelessness and social disorder as it relates to transit in Calgary

The audited financial statements for VCC Initiatives Ltd. for the year ended December 31, 2023. 

On March 25, 2024 the Social Policy Collaborative submitted a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Calgary City Council in support of Citywide zoning.  

Letter of Support for Calgary Citywide zoning

VCC provided a letter of support for the Citywide zoning proposal before Council in March 2024.

Letter of support for the proposed citywide rezoning to a base residential district

Employment income that is sufficient to cover the cost of living is vital to reducing poverty and building a resilient city and economy. Since 2008, Vibrant Communities Calgary has been updating the living wage figure for Calgary. This brief provides the details of the calculation, which has been done in collaboration with the Alberta Living Wage Network since 2021.

Significant numbers of people and families in Calgary face financial challenges that put them at risk of homelessness. This study defines different levels of risk, in order to focus on people at high risk of slipping into homelessness. The authors assume, based on the findings of previous studies, that people faced with financial hardship make all possible budgetary changes to lower their cost of living and thereby retain housing. These changes include using food banks, relying on charities, eating less nutritious diets, living in more crowded conditions, moving to housing with lower rent and giving up any hope of maintaining what the designers of Canada’s poverty line define as a “modest and basic standard of living.” The highest risk category comprises those who have exhausted nearly all efforts to maintain their housing and are extremely vulnerable to even minor shocks to income or living costs.

Estimating the number of people and households in Calgary at high risk of homelessness relies on key assumptions about housing costs, family structure, food budget, and expenditure reduction. The authors show how their estimates of the number of housed people at high risk of homelessness varies by these assumptions. These calculations provide insight into the effects of rent increases and food inflation on the ability of people with very low income to maintain housing. In doing so, they also provide evidence of how relatively small adjustments to income, rent, and food prices can pull people from the brink of homelessness.

How many housed people in Calgary are at risk of homelessness?

This policy brief outlines feasible solutions to issues related to eligibility, adequacy, means testing and accountability of the AISH program. The recommendations seek to improve the quality of life for Albertans living on low incomes with disabilities, and ensure they have the necessary income to meet their basic needs.

Liveable Incomes: Improving the Effectiveness of Alberta's AISH Program

The Report to Community outlines key accomplishments and initiatives in the year. Links to archived reports are below. 

Audited financial statements for VCC Initiatives Ltd.

Creating a city where poverty cannot exist is an ambitious goal. It means having a city where our health, education, childcare, and transportation systems meet our needs. A city where jobs pay living wages, and our income support programs meet our basic needs. But it’s what Enough for All strives to attain.

We know that poverty is about so much more than just income. In Beneath the Surface - the layers of poverty in Calgary we look beneath the surface of the metrics, and to learn the story behind them. Looking at these multifaceted layers helps us measure what matters and uncover solutions that will chart a better path forward.

View a summary of Beneath the Surface - the layers of poverty in Calgary.

Campaign 2000 summarized the main themes of a conversation held with seven working parents with lived experience of poverty. The conversation was hosted by Poverty Talks! and Vibrant Communities Calgary in partnership with Campaign 2000: End Child and Family Poverty. 

This summary is in four sections based on the topics of discussion. Main themes with related content and quotes are presented for each topic. The conversation content will be further analyzed over the next year, alongside content from other conversations across the country, to help create a community-driven indicator framework and recommendations for action.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 resulted in shifts in the way that organizations and community-based initiatives provide food and revealed gaps and opportunities within the emergency food system. 

In order to better understand and develop recommendations to improve Calgary’s emergency food assistance program, the Canadian Poverty Institute and Vibrant Communities Calgary published Examining Calgary’s Emergency Food Assistance System in March 2021. The purpose of the research was to explore the scope of food insecurity in Calgary in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, assess the effectiveness of the current emergency food system, and identify opportunities for improving the effectiveness of the emergency food assistance system. 

More than a year later, challenges and disruptions continue to shape Canada’s food systems. The resiliency and adaptability of the system is continually tested, and it remains unclear which changes to the Canadian food system, from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be permanent. This report serves as an update to Examining Calgary’s Emergency Food Assistance System. The purpose is to follow up on the recommendations developed from the original study, and examine which changes were temporary or permanent. It also seeks to document stories from the community; celebrating innovative projects and lessons learned. 

The State of Calgary's Emergency Food Assistance System

The Social Policy Collaborative outlines three key policy recommendations to help the provincial government meet its commitment to Albertans in need of affordable housing. The brief also highlights recent polling data showing that 70% of Albertans agree that the provincial government has an obligation to invest in building new affordable housing units.

A path to recovery: Growing Alberta's affordable housing stock and recovery-oriented support systems

Mayor Jyoti Gondek proclaimed the month of October 2022 as End Poverty Month.

End Poverty Month was initiated to raise awareness of poverty and to serve as a platform for Calgarians to participate in poverty reduction efforts in the community. It is centered around the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty held annually on October 17. 

Every year, progress on Calgary’s Poverty Reduction Strategy – Enough for All – is evaluated by an independent third-party. The Enough for All 2021 evaluation was conducted by Dr. Katrina Milaney, who engaged stakeholders in a series of surveys, focus groups and interviews. She also completed a review of Champion research and annual reports to compile indicators across levers, including employment rates, income support caseloads, and program statistics.

The year 2021 marked the third year of the second iteration of the Enough for All Strategy. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger. Despite these issues, there were several highlights in 2021. This report shows progress and identifies gaps in the Goals, Levers of Change, Principles and the evolving role of VCC and Champions in advancing the Enough For All Strategy, all in the wake of a global pandemic. Stakeholders believe that because of growing pressures, several years of learnings, adaptations and long-term community partnerships, investment in and commitment to the E4A strategy is more important than ever. 

More Important than Ever: Enough for All Evaluation Report 2021

In 2022 Poverty Talks engaged the community in a discussion on housing. The key learning was that housing is a human right and everyone deserves a safe, secure home. A summary of the feedback and what needs to change is provided in this resource.

In 2022 Poverty Talks engaged the community in a discussion on public transit. The key learning was that being able to travel easily to work, groceries, school and healthcare is critical in overcoming poverty. A summary of the feedback and what needs to change is provided in this resource.

2022 Community Conversations: Public Transit

In 2022 Poverty Talks engaged the community in a discussion on food insecurity. The key learning was that a lack of income is at the root of food insecurity. A summary of the feedback and what needs to change is provided in this resource.

2022 Community Conversations: Food Insecurity

The Calgary Social Policy Collaborative asked housing expert Dr. Nick Falvo to complete a situational analysis and identify opportunities for housing affordability advocacy at the provincial level. The Affordable Housing Brief lays out general themes, key research and facts as well as the existing policy landscape.

Calgary Social Policy Collaborative: Affordable Housing Brief 

Poverty affects every aspect of your life, not only the ability to meet your basic needs — your health, relationships, how you’re impacted by climate change, even how safe you are while you walk through your neighbourhood. We do the poverty snapshot to understand how people experience poverty and what policy makers can do to help. 

On Nov 1, 2021 the Government of Alberta released Stronger Foundations: Alberta's 10-year strategy to improve and expand affordable housing, intending to outline the action needed to provide more affordable and accessible housing options for Albertans. While some aspects of the strategy are supported by VCC and the Edmonton Social Planning Council, there are also elements that pose considerable risks.

Check out their analysis What you need to know about Stronger Foundations: The Government of Alberta’s affordable housing strategy.

Analyzing the Government of Alberta’s affordable housing strategy

Learn more about who to connect with on the issues you care about

Civic Engagement and Community Connections

Research, advocacy and engagement drove a marathon year of advancing Enough for All

A review from the Alberta Social Policy Collaborative

The cost of living, particularly housing, continues to drive the living wage up

Calgary’s Living Wage is $23.70 per hour

Highlighting the experiences of poverty in Calgary's communities

With affordability and inflation top of mind for many in 2022, VCC continued work advocating, educating and mobilizing

This guide will help you meaningfully engage with candidates on affordable housing, income security, and public safety

A discussion about ending child and family poverty

Not filing your taxes? You could be missing out!

Test your knowledge of the rich culture, history and language of Indigenous peoples and communities around Alberta

This End Poverty Month learn how poverty impacts all of us

Every year Enough for All is evaluated by an independent third-party.
The evaluation captures our community's progress towards achieving systems change priorities. The evaluation also provides direction to Vibrant Communities Calgary on its role in successfully advancing the Enough for All Strategy.

More Important Than Ever: Enough For All Evaluation Report

Discussions focused on public transit, housing, and food insecurity 

Our collective progress towards achieving Enough for All

Learn more about the steps taken to advance the development of an Indigenous gathering space within the City of Calgary

Public transit must be connected, convenient, accessible, and affordable

Transit – moving the conversation beyond ‘affordable’

2020 Evaluation Report highlights progress in poverty reduction

Building Back Better – Enough for All in action

Collective impact and collaboration at the centre of reducing poverty in Calgary

Enough for All Changemakers constantly ask ‘what’s possible?’

Evaluating our collective progress towards achieving Enough for All in 2020

Laying Bare Inequities: COVID-19, Gender, Race and Precarious Employment

Reflecting on Basic Income Through the Lens of Poverty Reduction

Combating poverty in the earliest stages of life

Discussions focused on the Enough for All strategy's Levers of Change

Calgary influencers met with community partners who have first-hand knowledge of what it’s like to live in poverty

Overcoming Stigma: Poverty is Not a Choice

Ward 8

At a glance

Low income demographics (percentage of people within the age group)

12.9%

Ages 0-17

11.4%

Ages 18-64

16.6%

Ages 65+

Income inequality

Statistics by category

Ideas

Next Ward

Poverty Profiles