Construction is beginning on 24 affordable homes for Indigenous families, seniors and Elders in Calgary's Erin Woods neighbourhood following an October 30 groundbreaking.
The project, called Ke Mama Nnanik, is being developed by Métis Calgary Family Services Society. The Alberta government says it is providing more than $6 million through the Indigenous Housing Capital Program.
Of the 24 planned homes, 12 are intended for Indigenous families and 12 for Indigenous seniors and Elders. The development will include accessible homes, and the provincial government says households with the lowest incomes will be prioritized.
Housing built around families and cultural connections
Ke Mama Nnanik means 'Our Mother Earth' in Ojibwe. Rather than offering housing alone, the development is planned to give residents access to employment-readiness and financial-literacy support, family programming, mentorship, community resource navigation and opportunities to connect with Elders.
The development partner, Assini Development, describes plans for a mixed-use building with a rooftop cultural gathering area, one level of underground parking, an Indigenous mural and a main-floor Native Network Family Resource Centre.
Its plans also include on-site child care and community services and larger family-oriented accommodations designed for intergenerational living. These are planned amenities; they are not yet operating.
According to the developer, residents will be identified through Métis Calgary Family Services' existing referral network. The provincial announcement also says lowest-income Indigenous households will be prioritized. Public application instructions or a formal intake opening date have not been announced.
Provincial funding and the City's earlier award
Alberta's announced contribution exceeds $6 million through its Indigenous Housing Capital Program. The City of Calgary separately lists a $6,019,900 award to Métis Calgary Family Services for Ke Mama Nnanik in its Housing Capital Initiative's first funding round.
Those are distinct program records, and neither announcement establishes the project's full final construction cost. The development partner lists the City, the province, Build Canada Homes and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation among its funding partners.
The City identifies the project as located in Erin Woods in Ward 9. The developer lists an expected completion in 2027, but a specific completion month, occupancy date and rental prices have not been confirmed in the available official project documents.
The provincial government says its Indigenous Housing Capital Program has approved more than $114 million since 2019 to support 840 affordable homes across 20 Alberta communities. Those figures describe the provincewide program, not additional units at the Erin Woods site.
The October 30 groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction, rather than the opening of homes for residents. YYC24 will follow the timeline and any published application information as the project advances.