Social & Community Services Organizations in Calgary

AfroCare Support Network is a non-profit community-based organization that supports African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) individuals in Calgary through health education, outreach, and resource distribution. We focus on issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness, stigma reduction, and mental health support, helping to break down barriers to healthcare and improve the well-being of people living within the ACB community.

The Alexandra Centre Society (ACS) was created as a registered charity in 1975. The Alexandra Centre, our building that we manage, has been at the heart and centre of the community since 1902 – and when threatened to be no more, brought our communities together to save a piece of our heritage. We are not a community centre, rather the center of our community. The ACS serves multiple communities and brings our communities together- rather than focus on one individual community alone. Bringing multiple communities together makes us stronger and allows for a larger reach in our City. The ACS helps support and strengthen our communities coming together and we offer resources beyond what local associations offer, and pickup the gaps where needed. We help engage more residents in matters that affect us all. We care for and protect a piece of Calgary’s history, while offering affordable spaces for essential services. We help support the wellbeing of our residents with many helpful and useful programs such as the CVITP tax program, Good Food Box depot, Food Security hampers, engaging classes and camps, and community use spaces. 1.1 Our Mandate: Vision The Alexandra Centre Society (ACS) cultivates a vibrant, inclusive, local community where everyone is welcome, and our historical legacy is celebrated. 1.2 Our Mandate: Mission The Alexandra Centre Society (ACS) is a collaborative organization that serves the City of Calgary, and surrounding areas, and works to enhance, strengthen, and honour the heritage of Inglewood, Ramsay, Beltline - Victoria Park, and East Village. Through the promotion and delivery of cultural, social, educational, and recreational programs, the ACS fosters an inclusive and engaged community and facility space to be enjoyed for years to come. 1.3 Purpose of the Society The Society promotes and encourages educational, recreational, athletic and arts facilities, programs and equipment for the use and benefit of the residents of the City of Calgary and in particular, residents of the communities of Inglewood, Ramsay, Beltline - Victoria Park and East Village. In particular, the ACS endeavours to: • Provide accessible resources, programs, services, and activities to our regional community; • Provide educational, recreational, and social programs and services; • Maintain the ACS facility, allowing space for activities; • Improve life for residents in our communities; • Celebrate ACS history, legacy, and heritage. 1.4 Objects of the Society The objects of the society are: – To promote and provide educational, recreational, and athletic facilities and equipment for the use and benefit of residents of the City of Calgary; – To promote, encourage, and assist the educational, charitable, athletic, and community endeavors within the City of Calgary; – To purchase, lease, sublease, hire, or otherwise acquire and hold lands or buildings or any interest therein for the purpose of creating facilities for recreational and cultural uses and to do those things necessary to maintain and operate such premises; – To receive, acquire, and hold gifts, donations, grants, legacies, and devises.

Between Friends has been offering social and recreational programs in Calgary and the surrounding area for close to 40 years. Through our programs, we endeavor to benefit all people and increase the community’s awareness, positive attitudes, and sensitivity towards their fellow citizens with disabilities. Through the name updates, program additions and changes and adapting to the ever-changing circumstances of our society Between Friends has remained committed to providing quality social and recreational programming for people with disabilities.

Black Pride YYC is a Calgary based 2SLGBTQ+ non- profit, volunteer-driven and community service organization providing support programs to the African, Black and Caribbean communities.

CCIS (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society) is a non-profit organization which provides settlement and integration services to all immigrants and refugees in Southern Alberta. Since our inception in 1981, we have been a community leader with solid experience in the design and delivery of comprehensive services for our newest neighbours. We deliver these services through a dynamic multi-cultural, multi-denominational and multi-disciplinary team of professionals, who collectively speak over 60 languages.

Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (CCASA) is the primary sexual harassment, sexual abuse and sexual assault crisis, counselling and education service provider for Calgary and the surrounding areas. We exist to support, inform, educate, and empower and we are a leader in the field of sexual violence. With experienced and skilled clinical, police and court services, education and training, and sexual assault response teams we provide a continuum of programs and services to diverse communities throughout southern Alberta. As the largest sexual assault centre in Alberta we serve in a leadership position within a provincial network of sexual assault centres: the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services. Through this body and independently, we advocate for the needs of those individuals and communities impacted by sexual violence and deliver effective, timely and appropriate programs and services. This includes maintaining strong working relationships with partner organizations, both within the community and in the form of various public health, justice and educational institutions. Our services are both preventative of, and in response to, the impacts of sexual violence. We support survivors as they navigate the health, police and justice systems, provide a broad range of highly specialized counselling services, deliver training to community and professional organizations throughout the Calgary area and in primary, secondary and post-secondary settings we deliver comprehensive sexual violence education to the next generation of Canadians in the Calgary area.

The Drop-In Centre welcomes adults at risk of, or currently experiencing homelessness. We work to provide access to a spectrum of care that supports each person’s transition to the most independent living situation possible—including emergency shelter, programs and services, and affordable and supported housing.

 As mental health can carry a heavy stigma especially in rural communities, providing a firm foundation in the Willow Creek area encourages positive relationships, life skills education including but not limited to frugality competence and foundational community unity for years to come. CFPC provides an all-encompassing approach to mental wellness, including promoting physical health as well as research-based educational information to clients. From children 0-21 years of age and their families; both within the home and extended where applicable.. 

Calgary Housing Company provides safe and affordable housing solutions for low- and moderate- income Calgarians in need of non-market rental housing. We operate over 7,100 housing units and administer approximately 3,080 private landlord rent supplements. We meet tenant needs through our varied programs, which include: subsidized housing near market rentals (approx. 10% below market rates) rent supplements for tenants with private landlords Our building management strategy uses a “mixed income model” that combines below market rates with deep subsidies. By balancing the proportion of units within an individual building, Calgary Housing Company ensures that new affordable housing developments are financially sustainable while providing an inclusionary approach to housing where tenants of mixed financial means are blended together.

The Calgary John Howard Society (CJHS) is a charity that reduces crime and makes Calgary communities safer by helping youth and adults make positive changes and move away from criminal behaviour. We do this by addressing the root causes of crime through housing, education, employment programs and support so that individuals have alternatives to breaking the law. CJHS is committed to restorative justice and an organizational environment that recognizes the dignity and worth of each person. CJHS values diversity and inclusion and welcomes qualified applicants from all walks of life.

Calgary Newcomers Guide, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping newcomers and immigrants in Calgary. Our mission is to develop comprehensive assistance programs that overcome language barriers, provide employment support, and assist with settlement planning.

The Calgary Society for Healthy Child Development is a charitable organization founded in 1998. We engage in activities that help families develop the skills they need to ensure their children grow up healthy and strong. Our Vision: All children achieve optimal development. Our Mission: The Calgary Society for Healthy Child Development seeks to increase awareness how parents, grandparents, extended family, and childcare providers can promote healthy childhood development, through the ages of birth to 6 years.