A diversity of partners build new affordable housing

A new housing project in downtown Calgary helps people with disabilities thrive

Downtown: Legacy on 5th is a 74-unit rental apartment building that provides permanent, supportive housing to Calgary’s priority populations. This centrally located project was built by HomeSpace, a non-profit housing developer and property manager. Downtown: Legacy on 5th is not only affordable, accessible and energy efficient, it also helps residents thrive.

Residents have access to a range of supports through a network of partner organizations. The commercial units on the ground floor of the building are used by organizations that offer dedicated programming as well as integrated health and wellness services.

“HomeSpace is grateful to CMHC for Co-Investment Funding towards our Legacy on 5th development, 74 units of affordable housing for vulnerable Calgarians. Thanks to this funding contribution in addition to a commitment from a private donor, we were able to leverage a City of Calgary land donation for the site located in downtown Calgary, where our residents have easy access to transit, groceries and amenities. Legacy on 5th provides the dignity and safety of a home for our residents so they are able to focus on building other aspects of their life and ultimately thrive in community.”
— Karen Chen, Director, Finance, HomeSpace Society

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A generous donation from a philanthropist and a successful fundraising campaign run by RESOLVE collected donations from across Calgary.
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Municipal incentives from the City of Calgary helped HomeSpace build additional affordable housing units. Incentives included provisions through the Non-Market Housing Land Sales program and the waiving of several municipal charges and fees.
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HomeSpace’s development and property management experience was key to the project’s success.

Project scope and expected outcomes

This project shows what’s possible when a diversity of partners bring their strengths to the table. Local philanthropists, David and Leslie Bissett, made key contributions to the project through the RESOLVE Campaign.

The City of Calgary provided a number of incentives which helped build additional affordable housing. The City waived development charges and sold the land to HomeSpace at book value through the Non-Market Housing Land Sale Program. Because HomeSpace acquired land through this program, it was also automatically approved for the City’s incentive program for pre-development and development fee rebates. This also meant that the project automatically qualified for Seed Funding from CMHC, creating a meaningful partnership between 2 levels of government.

Alberta provided a capital grant and provides on-going financial support to the agencies that HomeSpace partners with to offer supports to residents.

The project received a forgivable loan of $5 million and a low-cost, repayable loan of $4.8 million from CMHC through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. CMHC also provided Seed Funding to cover some of the project’s upfront costs.

Affordability, accessibility and energy efficiency outcomes

The National Housing Co-Investment Fund has affordability, accessibility and environmental efficiency requirements.

Requirement	How this project meets requirements
Affordability	All units (74) are 65% of the median market rent in the area or less.
Accessibility	The building has universal design, including barrier-free common areas. 16 of the 74 units are fully accessible.
Energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reduction	Energy savings and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 41% compared to the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2015.

Location

Downtown: Legacy on 5th is located in the heart of downtown Calgary at 933 5th Ave SW.
The project is within 10 minutes walking distance to a range of services and amenities. These include grocery stores, healthcare services, banking, social services, childcare and schools. A major shopping centre, with hundreds of shops and services, is a 12 minute walk away.
A bus stop with over 15 bus routes providing access to all areas within the city, is located directly in front of the building. The project is also located within a 5 minute walk to Calgary's light rail transit system.

Creating space for residents to thrive

The Calgary Homeless Foundation, a leader in the Homeless Serving System of Care, helps prioritize residents according to their needs, including mental health and addictions, experience of homelessness, and cognitive and physical disabilities.
The project serves a range of residents from young adults with autism to seniors.
All residents have access to social supports, through HomeSpace’s partnership with 16 service agencies, to help ensure success in their housing.
This holistic model is being used to operate another 26 buildings, housing over 700 of Calgary's most vulnerable citizens.

Initiative Name: Downtown: Legacy on 5th

Location: Calgary, Alberta

National Housing Strategy Initiative: National Housing Co-Investment Fund

Total Federal Funding Amount:

CMHC provided financing through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund: $5 million forgivable loan and a $4.8 million repayable loan.
CMHC provided Seed Funding: $50,000.

Project Collaborators/Partners:

Local philanthropists David and Leslie Bissett provided a $7.2 million donation through the RESOLVE fundraising campaign.
Suncor managed the RESOLVE campaign which raised another $1 million through donations.
The City of Calgary provided a range of incentives, including:

Sale of the land at book value: 3.8 million.
The waiver of development charges: $1.45 million.
Pre-development and development fee rebates: $250,000.

The government of Alberta provided a capital grant. It also provides financial support through the Calgary Homelessness Foundation to the partner agencies that offer support services to residents.

NHS Priority Area(s):