Project Info
What is The Mustard Seed's Affordable Housing Initiative?
Rendering of The Mustard Seed's Affordable Housing Project,
opening 2012.
The combination of growing homelessness, less access to affordable housing, and the phenomenal growth of Calgary's Beltline demands bold action.
For over 25 years, The Mustard Seed's progressive life-change programs, individually tailored mentoring and hands-on guidance have set the standard for meaningful change in the lives of thousands, helping men and women regain dignity and pride in the face of despair.
Now The Mustard Seed applies its expertise and rigorous research to directly address the housing crisis in our neighbourhood – the Beltline.
The Mustard Seed's affordable housing initiative will provide:
- A 12-story, urban green design, mixed-use apartment building, featuring street-level retail services including a coffee café with streetside seating.
- 224 units of affordable housing
- One floor of Mustard Seed progressive life-change programming, housing plus, social enterprises and employment programs.
- Shared tenant amenity spaces and balconies
- An Alcohol- and Drug-Free environment
- 24-hour lobby security
- On-site floor monitors providing management and guidance as needed
- Permanent supportive housing in 196 studio apartments
- Twenty-eight one-bedroom suites
- Representation on the Beltline Good Neighbour Council to monitor and resolve community issues
- Project partners: Boucock Craig Wong Architects; Carmen Bennett Architect; Williams Engineering Canada Inc.; Altus Group
This mixed-use development is only one component of a radical makeover in how The Mustard Seed operates in the centre city. The entire plan, termed The Mustard Seed's Affordable Housing Initiative, is an ambitious effort designed to optimize the many facets of Mustard Seed operations. Rather than changing what we do, The Mustard Seed will restructure how we provide services to Calgarians, and where those services will reside.
The Mustard Seed's Affordable Housing Initiative has been endorsed by provincial and international authorities on homelessness and affordable housing; by the Calgary Police Service; by the Alberta Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; by the Calgary Homeless Foundation; and by the Beltline Communities Association and the Victoria Crossing Business Revitalization Zone as a progressive approach toward relieving the affordable housing crisis in Calgary's inner city.
In a city-wide context, the Initiative fits within the principles of Calgary's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness, launched by the Committee to End Homelessness in January 2008; and aligns with the Province of Alberta's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness - the first of its kind in Canada.
