For Celina Baird, having a place she and her three-year-old son Salem could find community will be life-changing.
Baird will be one of the young single moms housed in the new, four-storey, 35-unit Hope Heights affordable housing complex by HomeSpace in the northwest Calgary community of Crescent Heights.
The building held a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, in a project that will provide young single moms and their children, along with seniors, access to wrap-around support services provided by Highbanks Society and McMan Youth, Family and Community Services of Calgary.
The site was built to provide stable, affordable housing for vulnerable populations, with a focus on Indigenous communities. The intergenerational housing model at Hope Heights will foster a mentorship community where seniors mentor youth on Indigenous traditions and life skills, while the youth support seniors with daily living needs.
“I could imagine my son building like relationships with everybody, like all the older people and like the younger people, everybody in between,” Baird said.
I think that communal type of housing is going to be really important, and like, kind of life-changing for us.”
Fernanda Corona and her two-year-old son Leo currently live in a bachelor suite, and now she’ll be able to work on her small business, complete school and have a place where her son can sleep. It also allows her access a safe space.
“Just being able to come to this space that is going to be safe, it truly means a lot, because it will mean that I will get out of my comfort zone more, and I will thrive,” Corona said.
“So, it just gives me a lot of hope.”
Focusing on the people who live in the homes
The Hope Heights project broke ground in March 2023, and was completed in the specified time, and on budget, according to the City of Calgary.
The nearly $12 million project received $7.4 million from the federal government’s Rapid Housing Initiative, $2.1 million from the federal and provincial government under the National Housing Strategy, $1.26 million from Calgary builder Hopewell Residential through the former RESOLVE campaign, and $872,975 from the City of Calgary.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said this project is the type of development needed when constructing homes is a top priority.
“Developments like Hope Heights demonstrate that we must also focus on the people who will then inhabit those homes,” she said.
“I want you to think about the smile on an Elder’s face when a toddler runs up with a quick hug. I want you to think about what it would be like for a young mother who’s uncertain about her future to hear from someone with experience you’re going to be all right, and I want you to consider how a senior, who has no kin in this city, will all of a sudden become part of a family through this project and through this place.
“These are the ways that lives are going to be changed, and in many cases, these are the ways that lives will be saved.”
Soriya Saliba, McMan Calgary and Area executive director, thanked all of the dedicated partners who brought the project from concept to reality.
“We believe in the power of connection. It’s at the heart of everything we do,” she said.
“Hope Heights is more than just a building. It represents our commitment to fostering meaningful relationships and creating a sense of belonging for everyone who will live here today, we celebrate a space where vulnerable population will not only find housing, but also experience deep, lasting connections that will support them in building brighter futures.”
Highbanks Society executive director Shannon Johansen said that for two decades they’ve been serving a niche community of young parents or soon-to-be moms working towards completing their education. This partnership allows them to provide more vulnerable youth and their kids with affordable housing.
“We look forward to moving our youth into this new building and helping them to create a home,” she said.
“We will walk alongside them as they achieve their dreams and goals as we truly believe they are the hope that lives here.”
