What once was a program designed simply to offer more warm spaces for Calgary’s homeless population during the city’s coldest days, is looking at expanding after recording its highest number of individual users yet.
The Calgary Homeless Foundation released data from the fourth year of its Extreme Weather Response (EWR) program on Thursday. Despite this past winter having just 18 days that fell below –20 C in Calgary, EWR recorded more than 32,300 visits to its day spaces between December and March, from more than 3,200 people.
Through EWR, the Calgary Homeless Foundation partners with the city and more than 20 other organizations to provide access to safe, warm day spaces for people experiencing homelessness during the winter. The spaces offer a place to rest, meals, clothing, hygienic supplies, access to showers and laundry, and connections to health and housing supports.
The program includes year-round warming spaces at The Mustard Seed, the Distress Centre and Journey Church, while seasonal day spaces from December to March are offered at other locations like the Aboriginal Friendship Centre and Wood’s Homes.
Bo Masterson, the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s vice-president of stakeholder engagement, said EWR started out of a need for a more co-ordinated system to support people during cold temperatures.
And as the program has grown, Masterson said EWR is connecting more people to housing or health programs. This winter, EWR completed more than 11,700 connections to housing, mental health, addiction and recovery, tax and legal supports.
“The services are nuanced: they respond to what people need; we’ve evolved them over the years,” said Masterson.
This season, the program recorded its highest number of unique visitors and shuttle transports to shelters in its history.
More day spaces planned
Calgary saw a rise in its homeless population last year, with the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s point-in-time count hitting 3,314 in 2025.
To build on its success, Masterson said EWR has been approved for more day spaces, but the foundation is still working on the design and location of those sites.
Masterson said her organization also plans to run EWR year-round, to help with extremely hot days and sudden swings in the weather, such as the heavy snowfall Calgary saw this week.
EWR seeing more newly homeless people
More of the Salvation Army’s warming centres will be set up until the end of June for the first time this year, rather than closing at the end of March, said its outreach program co-ordinator Kevin Mack. He noted they’ll become cooling stations when the temperature rises.
While the demographics of the people who access the stations varies, said Mack, the Salvation Army finds itself helping more seniors and more families this season, as well as more people who only recently lost their home.
(Colleen Underwood/CBC)
“This year, we’ve really seen an increase of folks who are new to homelessness,” said Mack.
“A lot of them, they don’t even know where to begin, where to access services, where are shelters, where can they get help.”
Mack pointed to an increased cost of living for many people living paycheque to paycheque as a significant factor driving this trend.
“You get a bit of a rent increase, your groceries go up, and [for] a lot of folks that’s enough to push them over the edge.”