Seton neighbor FAQs
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Norries House is an affordable housing complex in Seton named after Brookfield’s founder, Alan Norris, to honour his massive contributions to Calgary’s most vulnerable by launching the campaign formerly known as RESOLVE. Alan Norris connected Calgary’s major builders to raise millions of dollars towards building affordable housing to address homelessness in Calgary. Norris House, a 45 unit stacked townhouse development in Seton is home to families who have experienced or are at risk of homelessness. The property is owned and operated by affordable housing operator HomeSpace with social supports provided by Closer to Home.
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HomeSpace is a charity that builds, maintains, and manages affordable housing for vulnerable Calgarians. We own and run a portfolio of 858 units of housing in over 33 properties throughout Calgary and serve over 1000 residents. In each of our buildings we partner with a social service agency that provides wrap-around supports in an effort to keep our residents safely housed and connected with the resources they need to thrive. We support a housing-first approach to solving homelessness and have a strong growth mandate to build more specialized, permanent, affordable housing to address the affordable housing crisis in our city.
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In Canada, housing is considered “affordable” if it costs less than 30% of a household's before-tax income. We strive to make housing available for low-income Calgarians with rents 20-40% below market value. This allows individuals and families to live in safe homes they can afford. We believe there should be a home for everyone in our community.
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HomeSpace buildings serve any Calgarian in need of affordable housing. Our buildings are as diverse as the city itself, catering to a range of demographics. From families at risk of homelessness to low-income seniors, from young people on the autism spectrum, to people who require harm reduction care, we provide homes for everyone in the community.
Within each building, we ensure that our residents not only have the specialized support they need but are connected to a community of residents with similar shared experiences. By fostering a sense of belonging and community within our buildings, we've created a safe and supportive living environment that feels like home.
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Closer to Home partners with HomeSpace to provide social support to the families at Norris House.
Closer to Home is a non-profit with kids, youth and families at the heart of everything they do. Since 1995, Closer to Home has served over 65,000 Albertans to help families build the skills and connections necessary to break free from cycles of poverty, isolation, and trauma.
Closer to Home provides over 45 programs and services, free of charge, to address youth mental health, parenting skills, family homelessness, foster care, group care, and resources for Indigenous and newcomer families. Closer to Home’s programs are offered in Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Airdrie, Irricana, Beiseker, Crossfield and surrounding areas.
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On-site, Closer to Home has a Family Resouce Centre for families to connect, participate, access resources/services and learn skills that will benefit them positively. Some of the programs offered to families in this program include:
Welcome to Norris House Orientation (i.e. move in workshop)
Budgeting 101
Community Events: Board Game Nights, family BBQ, etc.
Parenting workshops (ex. establishing routine in your home)
Family Drumming Circles with Knowledge Keeper Darcy Turning Robe
Storytime Circles with the Calgary Public Library
The Give & Take Program/table: leave what you need, take what you don’t
Drop in times: coffee & chat
When families are in Norris House, they will learn and grow together by:
Learning and developing skills to maintain safe and affordable housing long-term, including self-advocacy, understanding their rights and responsibilities as tenants, and effective communication skills.
Having increased control over their finances by obtaining employment, securing longer-term government funding (e.g. AISH), or learning to budget.
Positively changing their mental and physical health by accessing health resources such as family doctor, dentist, counsellors, and/or addiction support.
Building a network of support in the community – both natural supports and professional, to make connections to their new community.
Families will be connected to various resources and supports during their time at Norris House to ensure a smooth transition when they are ready to live independently in the community. And, when families graduate from Norris House, they will be able to successfully locate and maintain housing in the community for years to come, be able to afford market rent in the community, experience decreased barriers, like physical or mental health or addiction and will feel connected to their community, and take pride in being an active part of their community.
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Item description
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The City of Calgary recognizes that affordable housing is essential for building a socially resilient city where Calgarians can enjoy vibrant, safe, and secure places to live, work, and play.
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) outlines that access to adequate and affordable housing is a fundamental component to quality of life.
The growth of affordable housing and partnership between developers, non-governmental organizations, and other levels of government to increase supply of affordable housing is a priority (MDP, 2.3.1: Housing).
That's where HomeSpace Society comes in. Our efforts in providing affordable housing align with numerous policies within and MDP as well as three core indicators for Land Use and Mobility: balancing developed and new growth, increasing density, and diversifying housing types within communities.
By building affordable housing in already developed areas, we're striking a balance in growth. This helps make neighborhoods denser and brings in a wider range of housing options. Diversity amongst housing options and residents promotes social resilience, which in turn promotes local economic resilience as communities become less vulnerable to community demographic lifecycles.
This means that local businesses and services get the support they need, and public amenities are used efficiently. Support for these indicators means that the cost of City services is reduced, residents are closer to their place of work, shopping and play infrastructure, and alternative modes of transportation like walking, cycling, and transit become more attractive (Core Indicators 1, 2, & 5, pg.3-7).
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No.
Extensive research in North American cities has shown that there is no negative impact on property values when affordable housing is built nearby. There is even research focused on Calgary that shows affordable housing adds value to communities without impact on property values in both the Beltline and Crescent Heights where HomeSpace already operates affordable housing programs.
The City of Calgary also does not consider the proximity of affordable housing in property tax assessments.
At HomeSpace, we pride ourselves in building beautiful, well-maintained homes for our residents that contribute to the vibrancy of their neighbourhoods and that fit within the fabric of the existing community.
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Quite the opposite.
There is a great body of research that shows that crime rates are unaffected by the presence of affordable housing in neighbourhoods.Affordable housing has also shown to have positive impacts on the health, education, and stability of families. When people are safe, stable, and have opportunities for employment and education crime rates decrease.
Access to safe and stable affordable housing helps residents to have the opportunity to find and keep jobs, to learn and build skills, and be active participants in their communities.
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You can support Closer to Home by donating to Seasons of Hope.
Closer to Home has identified a vital need to support families year-round. Your donation today will bring more than hope to vulnerable families in your community.
Seasons of Hope helps vulnerable families year-round by providing vital resources in a time of urgent need. Support could take the form of rent subsidies, grocery gift cards, covering past due bills, and more.
When a family is experiencing a crisis, community members like you can offer a safety net through the Seasons of Hope.
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If you are looking for housing support through Norris House, please get in touch with the SORCe
SORCe only offers walk-in-based services; client service is not available by phone. For general information about SORCe, or if you are an employee of another agency, please call our automated information line: 587-779-5015
SORCe is located on the north side of the City Hall LRT platform at: #2 – 316 7 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0J2