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2018 Annual General Meeting – Child Homelessness Ends Here

By 27 September 2018Community

On Tuesday night, we hosted our Annual General Meeting to offer a glimpse into what has been taking place in our city and within our walls this year. It’s important to note that over the last 20 years, the Inn has grown from a grassroots organization to become a vital partner in Calgary’s homeless-serving system of care. However, despite our successes, child and family homelessness is on the rise. Here are a few quick facts from the past two years alone:

  • In 2017, 58% of shelter guests were children, which has increased by 26% this year;
  • In 2018, we have experienced a 20% increase in families seeking shelter, housing and assistance;
  • We have been at / over capacity for 88.5% of this year, which is a 69% increase over last year.

These numbers are alarming, and a clear strategic approach is imperative to facilitate change. As we look to the future and determine our approach to end child and family homelessness, we’d like to share our strategic objectives for the next three years:

  1. Deliver relevant housing models for low, mid, and high-acuity families, working to position the Inn as a leader in ending family homelessness in Calgary.
  2. Design a housing-focused shelter around trauma-informed practice and reducing toxic stress, creating a safe and inclusive environment that supports building resilience.
  3. Implement Indigenous programming in shelter and housing that aligns with the 94 Recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
  4. Create a purpose-built, people-first environment where every person performs at their best.
  5. Position the Inn to be recognized throughout Alberta and Canada as a Centre of Excellence dedicated to ending family homelessness.
  6. Acquire, develop and maintain the physical assets to meet the needs of the organization, the children and families we serve and Calgary’s Homeless- Serving System of Care.
  7. Design and implement a Theory of Change and Logic Model that aligns every program with the Inn’s Vision, Mission and Values. Ensure existing programs support both shelter and housing, and that outcomes are aligned with the Inn’s Strategic Plan.
  8. Execute the highest standards of fiscal management and reporting demonstrated by accurate and timely information, and clean audits.
  9. Continue to develop and enhance sustainable resources to position Inn from the Cold to achieve our Vision and Mission.

With these objectives at the forefront, we look forward to making improvements in the year to come in our fight to end family homelessness.

We’d also like to take this opportunity to introduce our new Board:

Hsui-Yan Chan, Chair
Bruce Alger, Past-Chair
Munaf Mohamed, Vice-Chair
Leela Domingo, Treasurer

Genevieve Groulx, Secretary
Neil Smith
Cynthia Bird
Dave Botterill
Gary Clarke
Jennifer Giles
Jason Ennis

To read the full 2017 Report to Community, click here, and for the 3-Year Strategic Plan, here.