Community Hubs

The community we live in impacts the kind of opportunities we have in life. Living in neighbourhoods with high levels of poverty can negatively impact life expectancy, physical and mental health, early childhood development, and overall quality of life.

In Calgary, poverty is clustered in certain neighbourhoods of our city where up to 1 in 3 residents are struggling with low-income. This is significantly higher than the citywide average of 1 in 10. And that’s not all—40% of lower income Calgarians report being lonely, more than double the percentage of higher income Calgarians. Many of these people simply do not know what supports and services are available, or how to access them. In fact, only 60 per cent of Calgarians feel they know their neighbours well enough to seek help.

This is why United Way partnered with The City of Calgary and Rotary Clubs of Calgary to develop Community Hubs in five Calgary neighbourhoods, and works with numerous organizations and programs to ensure all the supports and services needed are provided. For example, the Community Mobile Market, a partnership between The City of Calgary and Leftovers Foundation, sells fruits, vegetables and other grocery items below market price, in support of Village Square’s food scarcity program.

Community Hubs works with community to build community. Because one individual, organization, or program cannot solve this complex issue alone.

All Hubs have four key features:

Welcoming and inclusive gathering places

Engaging residents in the design and activation

Provide access to supports and services

Platforms to spark community economic development

How is the Community Hubs Initiative helping people?

Since the initiative launched in 2017, it has engaged over 120,000 individuals. The Hubs exist in five neighbourhoods across Calgary, each tailored to meet unique community needs. Below is a snapshot of the variety of programs, activities, and services residents can access through their local Hubs:

Bowness

Hub site: Bowness Community Association
Neighbourhoods served: Bowness, Greenwood Village, and Montgomery

Indoor playground
Basic needs funds
Community events

Contact:
Laddie Miller
Hub Site Lead
E: lmiller@mybowness.com
T: 403 288 8300

Nicole Neve
City of Calgary Social Worker
E: nicole.neve@calgary.ca

Greater Forest Lawn

Hub site: Bob Bahan Aquatic and Fitness Centre and The Alex Community Food Centre
Neighbourhoods served: Albert Park, Dover, Radisson Heights, Southview, Forest Lawn, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, and Penbrooke

Food and well-being programs
Recreation
Accessible space for community groups
Skill building and credentialing

Contact:
Ariam Wolde- Giorgis,
Hub Site Lead
E: awolde-giorgis@thealex.ca
T: 403 455 5792

Tara Selinger,
City of Calgary Community Social Worker
E: tara.selinger@calgary.ca
T: 403 660 1778

North of McKnight

Hub site: 1000 Voices at the Genesis Center
Neighbourhoods served: Taradale, Saddleridge, Martindale, Castleridge, Falconridge, Coral Springs, Savannah, Cityscape, Skyview Ranch, Redstone, and Cornerstone

Newcomer programs
Language programs
Computer literacy programs
Free tax clinics
Free and accessible space for community groups
Library access
Recreation and sports programs

Contact:
Rumnik Muker,
Hub Site Lead
E: rmuker@aspenfamily.org
T: 403 471 1015

Kiima Bailey,
City of Calgary Community Social Worker
E: kiima.bailey@calgary.ca
T: 403 476 7152

Sunalta

Hub site: Sunalta Community Association
Neighbourhoods served: Sunalta

Toy lending library
Community activities and programs
Community gardens
Food security initiatives and opportunities

Contact:
Angie Davies,
Hub Site Lead
E: angie@sunalta.net
T: 403 823 0322

Tamara Baldwin
City of Calgary Community Social Worker
E: tamara.baldwin@calgary.ca
T: 403 852 8703

Village Square

Hub site: Village Square Leisure Centre
Neighbourhoods served: Whitehorn, Temple, Rundle, and Pineridge

Food security initiatives and opportunities
Free tax clinics and matched savings programs
Access to low income transit passes
Library access
Recreation programs

Contact:
Jenna Pothier,
City of Calgary Community Social Worker
E: jenna.pothier@calgary.ca
T: 403 826 2380

Community Hubs Supporters

We would like to thank all of the generous individuals who have supported the Community Hubs initiative. Special thanks to philanthropists Mike and Sue Rose for their early investment in the project.

Extraordinary thanks to our Legacy Circle member, who have given $1 Million and over to the initiative:

Shell Canada Limited

Special thanks to our Pillars of Philanthropy member, who have given $500,000 to $1 Million to the initiative:

Pembina Pipeline Corporation

Special thanks to our Innovator’s Circle member, who have given $350,000 to $500,000 to the initiative:

ENMAX Corporation

Thank you to our Champion’s Circle, who have given $200,000 to $350,000 to the initiative:

Repsol
CIBC

Thank you to our Corporate Partner, who have given $50,000 to $200,000 to the initiative:

BMO Financial Group

The following individual donors have given $100,000 or more to the initiative:

The Ark Foundation
Jim Dinning & Evelyn Main
Bob Jones & Kristie Smith
Kanovsky Family Foundation
Eric & Christie Le Dain
Barry & Val Munro & Family
Mike & Sue Rose
Donald & Eleanor Seaman
Shaw Family Foundation
Bill & Sharon Siebens

See how Community Hubs change lives

The North of McKnight Domestic Violence Prevention Collaborative has come together to understand the issue and create solutions and provide support for those escaping violence.

Read their story

Timeline of the Community Hubs Initiative

2008:

United Way and The City of Calgary (The City) begin working together on a joint neighbourhood building strategy

2012:

Genesis Centre opens in Calgary’s North of McKnight communities
United Way invests in 1000 Voices, a Community Hub within the Centre; this investment serves as a prototype for the Community Hubs Initiative

2015:

Enough for All—Calgary’s community-driven poverty reduction strategy—is released, which recommends Community Hubs as a key approach
Philanthropists Mike and Sue Rose provide an initial investment to seed the Community Hubs Initiative through a five-year commitment

2016:

Project Manager hired
Project design, site selection, and community engagement begins
Initial investment into Village Square Hub site
The Rotary Club of Calgary’s general membership voted overwhelmingly to join the initiative through a multi-year commitment of $2 million

2017:

Memorandum of understanding signed between founding partners: The City, Rotary Clubs of Calgary, and United Way, to prototype and activate Community Hubs across priority locations in Calgary between 2017–2022
Public launch of the Community Hubs Initiative
Innovators Circle members ENMAX Corporation, Pembina Pipeline Corporation and Shell Canada Limited join Community Hubs for three-year terms

2018:

All Community Hub sites are activated
Evaluation framework and marketing and communications plan activated

2019:

The first Community Hubs annual summit is held, celebrating our journey and achievements at the halfway point
Enough for All 2.0 recognizes that Community Hubs play a role in poverty reduction

2020:

Community Hubs continued to leverage established relationships with co-located and community partners and increased their connections with local organizations to support Calgarians during the COVID-19 pandemic.