Affordable Housing
Putting Housing First -
The City of Calgary Grants The Mustard Seed $4 Million
(November 10, 2009)
The City of Calgary is providing a grant of $4 million to The Mustard Seed to construct affordable housing units for Calgarians who are homeless. City Alderman John Mar presented The Mustard Seed CEO Pat Nixon with the grant cheque today at the 5th Annual National Housing Day Breakfast held at Stampede Park.
"City Council has made affordable housing a priority and is moving steadily alongside and with our community organizations to help end homelessness," said Alderman Mar. "The diversity of our community and its residents moves Calgary forward towards a complete and sustainable city. It all comes down to creating local solutions to local challenges."The grant provided by The City of Calgary is for capital expenditures only.
The Mustard Seed will use the grant to fund their Affordable Housing Initiative, particularly an 18-storey modern mixed-use apartment building with permanent supportive housing in 196 studio apartments and 28 one-bedroom suites. There will also be extensive on-site life-change programs and services, public meeting spaces and a public conference facility.
The Mustard Seed founder and CEO Pat Nixon applauds The City's spirit of collaboration. "This new building represents more than a roof over their heads for the men and women who will live there," said Nixon. "Alderman Mar, City Council and The City's administration team have provided valuable advice and support over the past two years. We're determined to work together to create a legacy for all Calgarians for decades to come."
Housing, coupled with progressive support services, is the long-term solution to homelessness. The Mustard Seed, working with its neighbours under the Beltline Good Neighbour Agreement, will ensure appropriate on-site supportive services are provided along with housing to residents who need them. Services will include personalized support & case management to ensure the housing is safe, stable and can be maintained by the residents.
More affordable housing in Calgary has been funded this past year than in any previous year for more than a decade. The Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and generous Calgarians also contributed to these achievements.
Today's grant is part of the Alberta Government's Municipal Block Funding Grant for capital development of affordable housing. The City of Calgary received block funding from the provincial department of Housing and Urban Affairs in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 budgets, and has assigned funds for specific areas of affordable housing development, including providing grants to community housing agencies, such as The Mustard Seed.
The City has responded to the critical issue of homelessness and affordable housing for several years - along with the major rent subsidy program, lands have been made available for shelters and housing development. The City continues to develop innovative strategies to increase - and sustain - the supply of affordable housing in Calgary. For instance, The City is channelling $7 million per year (2008-2010) into the New Start rent subsidy program, creating access to another 1,034 dwelling units.
About
Mustard Seed affordable housing appeal welcomes new chair
(September 15 2009)
One of Calgary's best-known business leaders will spearhead the drive to raise capital for a leading initiative to permanently address homelessness in Calgary.
Today, Pat Nixon, executive director of the Mustard Seed Society - Calgary, announced that Dan Gaynor has been appointed to chair the campaign to raise $20 million in gifts from the private sector - part of a $72 million initiative that will create 224 units of affordable supportive housing in Calgary's Beltline district.
"When you have a vision for major permanent change, you go after people with big hearts and big dreams," said Nixon. "Dan Gaynor is one of the people who gives our city its reputation for vision and philanthropy. We simply couldn't have found anyone more qualified or committed to head up this important work."
Gaynor is best known for his years as publisher and president of the Calgary Herald, and also led newspapers across Canada from Kingston to Edmonton. Gaynor also served as Chair of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, and has taken volunteer leadership positions with other local organizations including the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the United Way.
"Calgary has a desperate need for affordable housing," Gaynor said. "Compassion compels all caring Calgarians to act. The Mustard Seed has the experience and capacity to make this development work. This is the right model, in the hands of the right people, at the right time. I am in this project, start to finish, heart and soul."
Two years' planning for the building have led to a refined design, along with a broadly supported Good Neighbour Agreement around the location at 10 Ave. and Centre St. SE. In March 2009, Calgary Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to begin detailed development on the 18-storey apartment building.
The building will include street-level retail spaces, offices, meeting rooms available to the community, and 224 self-contained apartments. Integral to the design are facilities for the Mustard Seed to deliver sustained programs to help tenants permanently change their life. Use of alcohol will be prohibited. Rents are to be set 10 - 20 per cent below market rental rates for Calgary.
"We're all feeling a new surge of energy in the development now that Dan's on board," said Nixon. "Calgarians are going to be hearing a lot from us in the coming years, until we open our doors in 2012."
The Mustard Seed development has already received substantial funding commitments from the provincial Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, and garnered public support from Police Chief Rick Hanson and area alderman John Mar.
Calgary Planning Commission gives Green Light to Mustard Seed housing proposal
(March 5 2009)
Calgary City Planning Commission today approved a Development Permit application filed by Calgary's Mustard Seed Society for an 18-storey affordable housing building in the city's Beltline district.
Pat Nixon, founder and chief executive officer of the Mustard Seed, said the decision opens the door for revitalization plans for the property, located at 10 Ave. and Centre St. SE. "We've been working with planners, architects and our neighbours for nearly two years to create something that will change the face of our community for decades to come," said Nixon. "Without the input and advice from literally hundreds of Calgarians, and experts from across North America, we could never have gotten as far as we have.
"This isn't just a Mustard Seed initiative," said Nixon. "This has been a collaborative effort from the beginning. Administration staff at Calgary City Planning has worked with our own internal project team to make sure this is the best application it can be. Now it's time to start putting that planning into action, to provide relief for men and women in need of supportive, secure housing to get their life back on track."
In addition to 228 low-rent apartments for single men and women, the building includes retail space and supportive services that will provide programs for tenants and other Calgarians working to overcome homelessness. "This building represents more than a safe community for these people to call home," said Nixon. "This is also a positive step toward achieving the goals of Calgary's Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. If Calgary is to provide 1,200 new permanent supportive housing spaces in the next decade, we have to work together starting now to make it happen. I think you'll be seeing some exciting progress in the coming years, once others see how successful a collaborative approach like this can be."
The next step, according to Nixon, is a groundbreaking ceremony some time in the spring of 2010. "This has been a dream of ours for a long time," he said. "Now the rest of Calgary will see that dream start to become a reality. We're incredibly grateful to so many people for the hard work so far. It's time to move forward, and I believe the Beltline community and the City are enthusiastic about the possibilities."
2009 marks the Mustard Seed's 25th Anniversary in Calgary's Beltline. The affordable housing initiative has already received funding commitements from the Province of Alberta, with more funders expressing interest as the development proceeds through the planning and construction approvals process.
