Better Every Day 2024 Q1 - The Housing Issue

It’s no secret that Calgary is experiencing a housing crisis. One in five Calgary households are unable to afford where they currently live. That’s over 84,600 households who are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

Housing choice and affordability are foundational to Calgary’s competitive advantage as one of the world’s most livable cities. To address the housing crisis and keep pace with rapid population growth, we had to get creative. In September 2023, City Council approved Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy to address the crisis, and The City has begun implementing the plan with its 98 actions. We need more homes in all shapes and sizes in all neighbourhoods to help support Calgary’s prosperity now and for future generations.

Housing is deeply personal, as you will hear from the Calgarians featured in this edition of Better Every Day. Our home is our safety and security, our place to rest and recharge. It’s where we spend time and create memories with our families and loved ones, cook the food that nourishes us, and store the keepsakes we care about. Our home gifts us with a sense of pride and dignity. It’s a place to cool down in the summer months and warm up during winter. Where our home is located impacts how we interact with and experience our great city. Home truly is “where the heart is.”

In this edition, we explore the incredible impacts of different housing forms in Calgary, from office conversions to backyard suites to Indigenous housing and other nonmarket housing programs. Read on for the personal stories of amazing Calgarians living in different places and situations and what home means to them. These stories certainly have inspired me to reflect on what home means to me, and I hope they inspire you to do the same.

David Duckworth P. Eng, MBA