Dear members of the Calgary Community Housing Affordability Collective (or CHAC):

As we reflect back on CHAC and what we have accomplished over the years, it is inspiring to see what a group of committed volunteers can do. At the onset, CHAC was created to be the collective voice for housing affordability in Calgary through collaboration across sectors and community-based advocacy. On behalf of the CHAC steering committee, we are thrilled with the work that we have accomplished to ensure that social housing was a key priority here in Calgary, together we:

• Hosted our Sustainable Sector Series. This series helped bring together everyone involved in the housing affordability sector and featured expert speakers from across the country.

• Established a vision of creating 15,000 new affordable rental housing units in Calgary

• Regularly met with all levels of Government to advocate for the need for additional housing here in Calgary

• Worked with our membership to create policy positions around numerous objectives and government initiatives

• Created a framework and business case for One Windows, a streamlined intake process to eliminate the need for applicants to submit information multiple times to different providers.

As you know for over a year, we have been soliciting your feedback on a transition to the Alberta Seniors and Community Housing Association to create a stronger voice for housing here in Alberta.

What we have done

ASCHA, along with members of the CHAC Steering Committee hosted regular Calgary Community Housing Forums that was open to all CHAC membership in an effort to better understand the priorities of our members moving forward and address any concerns regarding a partnership with ASCHA.

What’s next

We have heard from our membership that a strong, provincial voice is the preferred approach for the future. We need to work together as a sector, across all of Alberta, to influence the bigger policy and systemic transformations that need to happen for housing operators and those they serve. The changes we need to see are bigger than any one region, though we have an opportunity to be the Calgary voice in major decision-making at the provincial level.

Moving forward, CHAC is encouraging our collective members to consider becoming a member of ASCHA. We have ensured that our members will continue to have a strong regional voice within ASCHA through a variety of different channels.

On behalf of the Steering Committee, we want to sincerely thank everyone for their hard work and support over the years and are looking forward to this new chapter as part of ASCHA.     

We are excited about this potential new direction with ASCHA.