A temporary family crisis doesn’t have to lead to homelessness. If you get help early, we can help you stay in your home and decrease the possibility of a housing crisis in the future.
Give us a call at 403 263 8384 or send us an email at gethelp@innfromthecold.org. We have someone available to assist you 24/7, but please note that email is best for non-urgent inquiries.
Our emergency family shelter program provides temporary emergency shelter to families when they’re unable to stay in their existing homes and they have nowhere else to turn. If you and your family are facing eviction or have recently become homeless we are here to help! We will provide your family a safe roof over your head and your family will stay together in a semi-private environment that includes access to three healthy meals and snacks each day. While staying with us, our family support team will work with you to find new housing as quickly as possible and provide the necessary supports to help achieve housing independence.
We also help your family with basic needs such as, clothing, footwear, toiletries, baby items, and special supplies for your child or youth. These supplies can include sports and recreational equipment and special items for school and for birthday, holiday and cultural celebrations.
A number of operations support the delivery of this program. An offsite commercial kitchen provides snacks, homemade meals, and special holiday dinners. A donation centre at Inn from the Cold’s main building on 11th Avenue collects everyday items that families staying in the emergency shelter may need.
Once we have helped you to stabilize your housing situation, we work with you to strengthen your capacity to be successful in maintaining housing for the long-term.
Families in the Calgary area with a pregnant mother or children under the age of 18 who are at risk of losing their home.
We take community referrals or self-referral. When you contact us our family support team will assess your family’s situation and needs and will work to get you into shelter as quickly as possible. Call us at 403 263 8384 to get started.
When you stay in our family emergency shelter our family support team will work with you to create an individualized plan to address your family’s specific needs for housing and social supports and help set you up for success on your journey to housing independence. Our family support team is there for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while you are staying in shelter.
We offer a range of holistic supports to help strengthen your family, create hope and achieve stability. Our family support team is made up of dedicated professionals that can help you with finding housing, offering health and wellness support, providing child and youth programming, connecting you with cultural programs and resources, supporting you with parenting skill development and helping you connect to employment, career counselling and legal aid.
We are also fortunate to have a dedicated team of volunteers who provide important support in the kitchen and dining room, translate internal documents meant for families into other languages, produce how-to and recreational activity videos for families, provide homework and tutoring supports for children and youth, and organize events for families, such as birthday parties and holiday celebrations.
There is no set time limit for how long you can stay in shelter. However, families are expected to work with their case manager to find new housing as quickly as possible. We will support you as long as necessary, but we do recognize that staying in shelter isn’t the best place for a family and we want to support you in finding new housing so that your family can thrive and achieve stability. The average length of stay for most families staying in shelter is approximately 45 days.
No you do not have to leave the shelter during the day and you are welcome to stay all-day.
Our child and youth development team are there to support your children while you are staying with us in shelter. They can connect you with schools, ensure your children are registered for school and can assist with transferring to new schools as needed. They plan regular activities for children and youth, including providing after-school snacks. Our team can connect you with resources and make referrals to other agencies as needed. We also have a team of dedicated volunteers who help with online virtual tutoring and homework. When you are in important meetings onsite with shelter staff our team can also provide childminding.
Our health and wellness team are there to support your wellbeing while you stay in shelter. They can connect you with specialized resources and referrals to support your physical and mental wellness. Our team is there to provide emotional support during your stay and they also host regular wellness activities to enhance your wellbeing.
We follow Canada Food Guide suggestions to ensure well balanced and healthy meals. We are able to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions as needed.
Our team can assist you with public transportation for housing viewings, important appointments, work and school. Staff can help with transportation to and from school for kids. We work with Calgary Board of Education who provide bus service to and from school to the shelter.
Check out our program information pages:
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