DESCRIPTION
Trellis Society has supported the Bowness community since 1976, offering summer camps, preschool, youth supports at Bowness High School, and neighbourhood-wide help with food, rental needs, and family stability. Each year, our teams work with local children, youth, and families to ensure they are safe, connected, and able to thrive close to home. As housing affordability declines in Calgary, more families struggle to secure stable housing. In 2023, the Trellis Bowness Hub identified 27 families at imminent risk of homelessness—parents, children, and youth doing everything they could to stay in their community but facing barriers beyond their control. To respond, Trellis Foundation is advancing an initiative to build and manage affordable family housing in Bowness. This project will create safe, stable homes and integrate supports that help families flourish, including community hubs, school-based services, cultural connection, and employment readiness. Our goal is simple: to ensure Bowness families can remain in the community they call home.
DETAILS
Property Id
Phase
Development
Affordability Framework
77% of MMR.
Target Completion Date
31/03/2027
Total Project Cost
Total Units
50
Affordable Units
50
Populations Served
Homelessness
Project Funding
Funding Required
$4 million to $12 million. Four million represents the current funding gap, while twelve million would both close the gap and remove the need for external financing.
Funds Raised
Trellis has funding commitments of $7 Million from The Province of Alberta, $3,750,000 form The City of Calgary, and an additional $565,000 in eligible rebate funding from The City of Calgary through the Housing Initiative Program (HIP). CMHC has provided conditional approval for a loan under the ACLP program for $8M.
Use of funds
The requested funds will be directed toward closing the capital funding gap for the initiative and, at the upper range, eliminating the need for external financing. Specifically, the investment will support construction costs, site preparation, and essential building systems required to deliver a safe, accessible, and community-oriented housing development.
By strengthening the project's financial position, these funds will allow Trellis to move forward with confidence, maintain project timelines, and reduce long-term debt servicing costs ensuring more resources can be directed to resident supports rather than financing obligations.
The impact of this investment is significant: the project will create up to 50 new affordable homes in Bowness, enabling families, youth, and individuals to remain in their community, stay connected to school and natural supports, and access the wrap-around services provided by Trellis. This will contribute to greater housing stability, improved well-being, and stronger long-term outcomes for residents who are disproportionately affected by Calgary's affordability challenges.
MAP
