Neighbourhood Support plan and budget
Neighbourhood Support builds the capacity of Calgarians to create neighbourhoods that foster social inclusion, economic participation, and sense of belonging. We work to understand and meet the specific needs of neighbourhoods so that no resident or neighbourhood is left behind. We support community associations and social recreation organizations by contributing funding to activate local spaces and support a variety of local programming to develop social connections among neighbours. By supporting residents and community leaders in navigating and aligning City resources, we increase the social wellbeing of Calgarians.
Our customers
- Local communities and residents
- Community associations
- Social recreation organizations
- Community and organization leaders
Our partners
- Community associations
- Social recreation organizations
- Grassroots-based neighbourhood organizations
- Residents for community development work
- Federation of Calgary Communities
- United Way of Calgary and area
Value to Calgarians
- fosters social inclusion, economic participation and sense of belonging through neighbourhoods
- supports community assications and social recreation organizations by contributing funding toward programming and activation of local spaces
- increases the social wellbeing of Calgarians by supporting residents and community leaders in navigating and aligning City resources
What we deliver
- Delivering resources, advocacy and opportunities for residents to increase social inclusion and economic participation
- Supporting community-led groups by helping to connect them to the resources they need, and build stronger and more skilled community organizations resulting in increased organizational health, programming and community representation.
Budget breakdown
Operating and capital budgets explained
The City develops two budgets to create impact aligned with Council’s Strategic Direction:
- The four-year (2023-2026) operating plans and budgets
- The five-year (2023-2027+) capital plans and budgets
The operating budget includes revenues, recoveries and spending related to ongoing operations. These include:
- Salaries, wages and benefits.
- Day to day programs, maintenance and services.
- Administration costs (e.g., insurance).
- Fuel
- Utilities
- Capital financing costs.
The City's total net operating budget is zero. This means we budget to collect the revenue needed to deliver services to Calgarians — no more, no less. We collect this revenue through property taxes and other sources.
The capital budget pays for long-lived assets. These provide the foundation for the services Calgarians rely on. They include:
- Maintenance of current infrastructure (e.g., bridges, buildings and playgrounds).
- Upgrades to existing community infrastructure.
- New infrastructure to provide services in areas that are underserved (e.g., Green Line).
- New infrastructure for growing areas of the city.
Learn more about our 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets.
See how the budget has been adjusted since November 2022
Measuring performance
We are measuring our performance in five areas. Each value is the goal we expect to reach by 2026.
What we've heard
Engagement with Calgarians (2021 Fall Survey of Calgarians) shows 93 per cent agree Neighbourhood Support is an important service, 84 per cent agree they are satisfied with Neighbourhood Support, and 94 per cent agree The City should invest more or the same amount in the service. Calgarians ranked the most important value metrics for the service as equity and connectivity. Engagement with our direct customers (2021) has shown 91 per cent of community partners agree community social workers understand the unique social issues of neighbourhoods and 87 per cent agree they effectively address the social issues. 89 per cent of community associations and social recreation organizations “often” or “always” connect with The City through their neighbourhood partnership coordinators. 79 per cent of residents who volunteer agree that their sense of belonging has increased because of volunteering.
Participate and view results of City researchWhat we're watching
- The complexity of social issues as well as the number of people and neighbourhoods experiencing vulnerabilities continues to increase in Calgary. Neighbourhood support uses evidence-based tools such as the Calgary Equity Index which identifies neighbourhoods experiencing different levels of social determinants of health. Examples include socioeconomic disparity, civic engagement, access to physical amenities, and healthy lives.
- We continue to watch and respond to areas of growth including populations of newcomers, seniors and Indigenous people and the diversity of their needs, as well as community growth resulting in new community associations and social recreation organizations in development stages.
- We continue to monitor a variety of factors of organizational health of community organizations so that we can help them mitigate risks to their operations and sustainability. Factors include asset life-cycle, programming, financial health, staffing, and business planning.
Our initiatives
What we plan to do
We focus on strengthening social connections at the neighbourhood level. We establish effective relationships, strengthen social resiliency, build neighbourhood capacity and align community assets and leverage investments to help create a sense of community pride.
How we're going to get there
- Increase the social inclusion and economic participation of residents in neighbourhoods experiencing high levels of inequity through intentional community development including neighbourhood assessments and community-led initiatives.
- Foster vibrant and connected communities by strategically investing in community-based organizations and projects through micro-grants and the Inspiring Neighbourhoods Grant.
- Engage with community partners to help address and meet the changing needs of their residents by providing information, advice, and support in navigating City and community resources.
- Increase the financial health and organizational resilience of community associations and social recreation organizations by providing in-depth and tailored guidance to strengthen their structure and processes, as well as overseeing compliance of the conditions within the lease or license of occupation.
- Improve a sense of community belonging and safety by supporting and advocating the activation of safe and inclusive spaces in collaboration with community residents, and internal and external partners.