Red Deer is at a turning point. With the creation of the Red Deer Homeless Foundation, our community now has a dedicated, region-wide organization built to convene partners, mobilize resources, and facilitate transformational solutions to homelessness. The Foundation exists to strengthen collaboration, expand housing supply, and ensure that people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have clear pathways to stability, dignity, and long-term success.
The Foundation is already gaining momentum: establishing strong governance, advancing a bold strategic plan, engaging key partners across sectors, and laying a foundation for long-term systems change. We are building a future where Red Deer becomes a model for coordinated, integrated, outcomes-driven community action.
Vision
A region where homelessness is rare, brief, non-recurring, and everyone has a clear, supported pathway home
Through strategic planning and broad community engagement, the Foundation has established two cornerstone pillars:
Community Connections & Coordination
We are working to serve as a trusted convener—bringing together service providers, business leaders, donors, municipal and provincial partners, and people with lived experience. We are working towards:
- a unified, region-wide strategy
- a clear system map of services and pathways
- collaborative approaches to prevention, emergency response, and housing stabilization
- transparent communication channels for the community
This is the first time Red Deer has had a dedicated organization responsible for aligning and integrating the homelessness ecosystem.
Advancing Housing Supply & Solutions
Red Deer needs more housing across the continuum—from prevention supports to transitional and supportive housing. The Foundation is actively working to:
- identify development opportunities
- partner with builders, investors, and social agencies
- unlock grants and philanthropic capital
- advocate for funding and policy alignment with provincial and federal partners
- pilot community-driven solutions that reduce reliance on emergency systems
As we move forward on this path the insights on development, construction, and investment are from Chamber members will be vital to this work.
This is about more than housing
Ending homelessness isn’t just about getting people into buildings. It’s about building a community where supports are proactive, transitions are smooth, and no one falls through the cracks. It’s about recognizing that housing is foundational, but not the finish line.
2025 has been a pivotal year for the Foundation, with the Board and CEO advancing several high-impact initiatives, including:
- Strategic Planning & Ends Framework: A clear, measurable roadmap focused on housing supply, system coordination, and donor/investor confidence.
- Brand & Web Presence: Launch of a modern, trusted brand that clearly communicates our purpose and impact. Check us out at Red Deer Homeless Foundation | Housing & Support
- Organizational Transition: Conversion from a society to a not-for-profit corporation, enabling greater flexibility in the gifts we can receive and expediting our charitable status process — accompanied by a name change that better reflects our role.
- Charitable Status Application: Actively advancing, with approval anticipated in the first half of 2026.
- Mayoral Forum on Homelessness: Demonstrated leadership in civic dialogue, community education, and policy awareness.
- Chamber Task Force Alignment: Integrating key recommendations into our advocacy with municipal, provincial, and federal partners.
Collectively, these actions strengthen our foundation, accelerate system transformation, and position Red Deer for meaningful, long-term progress.
What We Will Bring to 2026?
The Red Deer Homeless Foundation exists because the Chamber of Commerce recognized that addressing homelessness requires the same fundamentals that drive successful businesses: clear strategy, coordinated systems, measurable outcomes, and strong leadership.
Homelessness is not only a social challenge — it is a major economic development issue for Red Deer. Its impacts are felt in business confidence, labour attraction, downtown vibrancy, public safety, and the overall competitiveness of our city. Chronic homelessness strains emergency health care, policing, crisis response, and municipal services, while reducing foot traffic and increasing operating pressures for local businesses.
A strong, coordinated homelessness response system benefits everyone in Red Deer. It reduces public-system expenditures, accelerates downtown revitalization, improves workforce stability, enhances Red Deer’s reputation as a place to invest, visit, and grow and at the heart of everything, provides support to those experiencing homelessness by offering coordinated care, housing pathways, and opportunities for long-term stability. These efforts are a reflection of Red Deer’s commitment to compassion, inclusion, and shared responsibility.
None of this progress would be possible without the dedication of those working across Red Deer’s homelessness system. We extend our sincere thanks to frontline staff, service providers, volunteers, advocates, funders, and partners for their compassion, resilience, and willingness to be there for people when they need help the most. Your commitment makes lasting change possible and strengthens our entire community.