BEHIND THE SCENES

Fold interviews
— Kim O’Brien

On the prospect of eradicating homelessness

Kim O’Brien is the Executive Director of Horizon Housing, a non-profit organization providing affordable homes to Calgarians in need. She speaks with us about RESOLVE, a campaign that aims to create affordable and supported rental housing for vulnerable and homeless Calgarians. As a founding partner and one of the nine established social service agencies that have formed RESOLVE, Kim describes the reasons behind this important initiative in Calgary. We spoke with Kim on May 25, 2017.

FOLD: Homelessness is currently part of Calgary’s rapidly evolving urban landscape. What factors do you see impacting homelessness now and in the future?

Kim O’Brien: Homelessness can happen to anyone – young, old, healthy, or ill. The loss of a home is often the result of a perfect storm of factors – structural, systemic, and personal. This is why it is of the utmost importance to make sure Calgary has an adequate amount of affordable housing along with the support services that are required. This will help to ensure that we have infrastructure in place to prevent and end homelessness.

Many cities have begun to change their approach towards homelessness. How has Calgary sought to resolve the problem of homelessness through designing with more inclusivity in both public spaces and housing infrastructure? 

KO: Building community is an essential part of the homes we’re creating. Isolation can be prevalent among people experiencing homelessness so it’s important that they feel comfortable in their new homes. We are building in established communities and engaging those communities in the planning process so that once people move in, there’s already a level of acceptance and familiarity. Many buildings will have communal spaces that neighbours and residents can enjoy together.

What led to the formation of the RESOLVE Campaign? How did Calgary’s context play into this at the time?
KO: Homelessness was growing rapidly in Alberta in the early 2000s due to a lack of affordable rent and rising costs in the housing market. Thus, Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness was developed, based on Housing First. The Government of Alberta introduced capital funding grants in 2007 to build affordable housing. A feasibility study was conducted to determine how funds should be raised to leverage the government grants. This led to a call to local agencies with mandates of providing affordable housing with support services who also had other financial resources in place, such as government grants or land. Nine agencies came forward and formed the RESOLVE Campaign: Accessible Housing; Bishop O’Byrne Housing Association; Calgary Alpha House Society; Calgary Homeless Foundation; Calgary John Howard Society; Horizon Housing Society; Silvera for Seniors; The Mustard Seed; and Trinity Place Foundation of Alberta.

RESOLVE uses language that is intended to shift the way we think about people who are at-risk and experiencing homelessness. Why is this important? Do you think this is having an impact?
KO: Homeless isn’t who people are.  It’s a state, not part of someone’s traits or characteristics. Homelessness can happen to anyone and can look like anyone — the woman in a suit riding the LRT to work, the math whiz next to you in class, the elderly man reading his book on the park bench. These individuals are part of our community and it’s our responsibility to make them feel like welcome members of the community. The language we use reflects our respect for people from all walks of life because we believe that every Calgarian deserves a home.

The Campaign's Cabinet includes a number of leaders from the development industry, who arguably have a large role in shaping the design of our city. What role do these influencers play in the Cabinet?
KO: RESOLVE is incredibly fortunate to have Alan Norris, President and CEO of Brookfield Residential Properties, as Chair of the Campaign, as well as many other business and community leaders like Jay Westman, Chairman of Jayman MasterBUILT, and Sam Kolias, CEO of Boardwalk Rental Communities. In addition to personal gifts, they and our other Cabinet members have dedicated countless hours to sharing RESOLVE’s mission and leveraging their personal and business relationships to get the funding needed to create the affordable and supported housing Calgary so urgently needs. And, through this, they are changing the narrative and reducing the stigma for individuals experiencing homelessness and for those living in affordable housing. They recognize the need for healthy, inclusive communities with housing options for everyone and they are using their position as leaders in Calgary to spread this message to their fellow Calgarians.