The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy

Home is Here, The City of Calgary's Housing Strategy 2024 - 2030 Calgary's Housing Strategy

The goal of Home is Here - The City of Calgary's Housing Strategy 2024-2030 is to ensure that all Calgarians have an affordable place to call home. The Housing Strategy outlines 98 actions, including actions recommended by the Housing and Affordability Task Force, to address the housing needs of all Calgarians. 

What is the Housing Strategy?

Approved by Council in September 2023, the Housing Strategy is a comprehensive plan to:

  • increase the supply of housing,
  • support affordable housing providers to make a positive impact, 
  • enable The City’s housing subsidiaries to improve service delivery, 
  • ensure diverse housing choice to meet the needs of equity-deserving populations, and 
  • address the affordable housing needs of Indigenous people living in Calgary. 

The Housing Strategy delivers a variety of measures that work together to address the complexity of housing and housing affordability.  Some measures will be completed in the short term, and others that will require further research, public participation, and subsequent Council decisions.  

Why we need the Housing Strategy

Every Calgarian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Enabling housing is essential and it touches the root of many social issues. One in five Calgary households cannot afford their housing. With the prospect of growing to a city of two million in the next few years, the scale of the challenge we face is significant.

Calgary’s competitive advantage as one of the world’s most livable cities where housing is relatively affordable is at risk. We need more homes in all shapes and sizes in all neighbourhoods. This strategy will help support Calgary’s prosperity now and for future generations. 

Teams across the City are working collaboratively with market and non-market industry partners and leveraging funding from other levels of government to enable and increase housing supply, choice and affordability for all Calgarians.

Implementing the Housing Strategy

Since its inception, the Housing Strategy is already seeing positive impacts. Accomplishments include:

  • Increasing non-market housing supply with the sale of 17 sites sold below market value, creating 835 new homes, and awarding $30.7M to the first round of projects through the Housing Capital Initiative, to create 480 non-market homes.
  • Council approved a new property tax exemption bylaw for the non-profit non-market housing sector to further support affordable housing providers to administer the lowest possible rents.
  • Enabling City housing subsidiaries to improve service delivery by working with them on critical projects.
  • Addressing the needs of equity deserving groups, such as through two non-market Family Housing projects, which will provide housing to over 100 families with children who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
  • Creating a “For Indigenous, By Indigenous” Housing Program, Maa’too’maa’taapii Aoko’iyii’piaya, to meet the distinct housing needs of Indigenous Calgarians.

The Housing Strategy's five outcomes

As we implement The Housing Strategy, we are working towards five outcomes. To learn more about the five outcomes follow the links below.

  • Outcome 1

    Increase the supply of housing to meet demand and increase affordability

  • Outcome 2

    Support affordable housing providers to deliver services that make a positive impact

  • Outcome 3

    Enable The City's housing subsidiaries to improve service delivery

  • Outcome 4

    Ensure diverse housing choice to meet the needs of equity-deserving populations

  • Outcome 5

    Address the affordable housing needs of Indigenous people living in Calgary

Outcome 1

Increase the supply of housing to meet demand and increase affordability

a) Make more City-owned real property assets (i.e., land, buildings, and strata) available for housing (market, nonmarket, subsidized, and housing co-op) in all communities.

b) Use The City’s funding tools to leverage partnerships with government and get more housing built.

c) Amend and streamline planning policy and process to allow for diverse housing.

  • Land sales for non-market housing

    The City sells land to nonprofits at below market value to create new non-market homes for Calgarians in need.

    Learn more

  • Rezoning for Housing

    One of the actions of the Housing Strategy is to propose citywide rezoning to a base residential district, or zone, the R-CG District. In May 2024, City Council approved rezoning for housing with amendments that incorporated citizen feedback.

    Learn more

  • Housing for families in need

    The City has designated two City-owned sites to develop housing to support families. As part of the Housing Strategy these developments will help families with children at risk of or already experiencing homelessness.

    Learn more

  • Secondary Suites

    The Secondary Suite Incentive Program supports safe housing for all. The program will provide qualifying homeowners with up to $10,000  to build and register a secondary suite. 

    Learn more

Outcome 2

Support affordable housing providers to deliver services that make a positive impact

a) Advance City-led programs that support affordable housing providers and residents.

b) Conduct research and convene affordable housing providers to support the sector’s growth.

c) Advocate to other orders of government to ensure adequate supports for housing.

  • The Home Program

    The Home Program provides funding to non-profit organizations to deliver projects that increase housing stability and successful tenancies for affordable housing residents or people in housing need.

    Learn more

  • Housing Incentive Program

    The City of Calgary's housing Incentive Program (HIP) encourages the building of affordable housing units and helps stimulate the economy.

    Learn more

  • Exemptions for non-profit non-market housing providers

    In January 2025, City Council approved a bylaw creating a new property tax exemption available for non-market housing properties that are held by non-profit organizations.

    Learn more

  • Corporate Housing Research

    Continuing to expand our research efforts to support housing outcomes, housing need, and affordability concerns. 

    Learn more

Outcome 3

Enable The City's housing subsidiaries to improve service delivery

a) Leverage funding and land for the development and redevelopment of City-owned assets.

b) Support subsidiaries to deliver on their strategic plans.

  • Calgary Housing Company (CHC)

    Calgary's largest property manager for affordable housing is Calgary Housing Company (CHC). CHC manages over 10,000 affordable housing units with more than 25,000 tenants living in a variety of mixed income housing options.

    CHC provides safe and affordable housing solutions for low- and moderate- income Calgarians in need of non-market rental housing. CHC ensures that new affordable housing developments are financially sustainable while providing an inclusionary approach to housing.

    Learn more

  • Attainable Homes Calgary (AHC)

    Attainable Homes Calgary (AHC) provides non-market housing options for Calgary's workforce. Established in 2009, AHC is an independent, non-profit organization owned by The City of Calgary. AHC’s mandate is to create and increase the supply of non-market, affordable housing on development-ready land in Calgary, on behalf of The City and Calgarians.

    Learn more

Outcome 4

Ensure diverse housing choice to meet the needs of equity-deserving populations

a) Develop and implement programs that reduce barriers and increase housing supports.

b) Incentivize the creation or modification of housing to meet the needs of equity-deserving populations.

Outcome 5

Address the affordable housing needs of Indigenous people living in Calgary

a) Fulfill commitments to ReconcilliACTION by implementing the actions within:

“The Ways Forward: Affordable Housing for Indigenous Calgarians Through a Holistic Plan.”

  • The Ways Forward

    Download The Ways Forward: Affordable Housing for Indigenous Calgarians Through a Holistic Plan report here.

  • Maa’too’maa’taapii Aoko’iyii’piaya

    Maa’too’maa’taapii Aoko’iyii’piaya supports Indigenous-led non-market housing solutions in Calgary. The program marks a major step forward in The City’s commitment to reconciliation and equity.

    Learn more

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