The involvement of St. Andrew’s with Claire House can be traced back to the “Ten-year plan to end homelessness in Calgary,” which officially kicked off in 2008 with a focus on “housing first.” Early on, a network of Calgary churches, under the umbrella of KAIROS, partnered with what became known as the Calgary Homeless Foundation, to help raise funds for subsidized, community housing.
Acadia Place was the very first of the four apartment-style community housing projects that now includes Claire House, Bankview and Longbow. Claire House was the second location in the group, being added in 2010. At Claire House, located in Kingsland, there are 42 one- and two-bedroom apartments for singles and small families.
Residents at the four community housing projects come from various agencies, including the Drop-in Centre, Immigration Services and Inn From the Cold. Without these agencies and these housing opportunities, residents otherwise might be homeless. CUPS provides resident referrals, income testing, supports and community building. KAIROS Calgary also helps with building projects and resident support.
St. Andrew’s and individual congregants support Claire House by raising funds for KAIROS through the Coldest Night of the Year, raising funds for gift cards for residents at Christmastime, and hands-on projects like building a fence for the yard, planting gardens, providing new mattresses and other furnishings for residents and offering some companionship over coffee and meals.