Our organization recently released the Case for Project Nexus, a comprehensive report examining homelessness in our community, the costs associated with the current system and a potential path forward modelled on successful worldwide strategies.
This collection of research draws on local data, economic analysis and examples from across North America to paint a clear picture: homelessness in Red Deer has become increasingly complex, increasingly visible and increasingly expensive.
At the same time, the data identifies a promising solution in the form of an integrated services campus designed to help individuals move from crisis to stability.
Statistics on Red Deer’s Homelessness Crisis
The Project Nexus report paints a sobering picture of homelessness in Red Deer. The number of people experiencing homelessness has increased dramatically over the past several years, rising from 144 individuals identified during the 2018 Point-in-Time Count to 747 individuals in 2024 PIT.
Homelessness is currently estimated to cost the community approximately $35.5 million every year. These costs extend beyond shelters and outreach services to include emergency healthcare, policing, corrections and social services and lost economic productivity.
Homelessness is also becoming increasingly complex. Many individuals are not simply experiencing a lack of housing. They are simultaneously navigating mental health challenges, addiction, chronic health conditions and barriers to employment. As a result, traditional emergency responses alone are often unable to create long-term stability.
If current trends continue, the cumulative cost of homelessness to Red Deer could exceed half a billion dollars over the next decade. This reality highlights the importance of investing in solutions that address root causes rather than simply responding to crises as they occur.
Examples of Successful Pro-Housing Campaigns
Project Nexus is not just a temporary housing solution; it is a dedicated campus of support services that function as a single network. This plan for Red Deer has been carefully modelled after several campus-based solutions for homelessness and related community issues, including the following.
The At Home/Chez Soi project is one of the largest Housing First studies ever conducted. Operating across five Canadian cities and involving more than 2,000 participants, the program has demonstrated that individuals who received stable housing alongside coordinated support services remained housed significantly longer than those relying on traditional interventions. Participants in the Housing First stream spent 73% of their follow-up period in stable housing compared to just 32% among those receiving standard services.
Haven for Hope in San Antonio, Texas, is an integrated services campus that brings together more than 70 service providers on a single site to create a coordinated pathway from emergency shelter to healthcare, addiction treatment, employment support and permanent housing. Haven for Hope has achieved housing retention rates exceeding 90% after one year, while contributing to a substantial reduction in unsheltered homelessness throughout the downtown core.
Closer to home, we have Calgary’s Mustard Seed proving how custom-built service centres can operate successfully within a community. Despite common concerns about concentrating services in one location, data shows that surrounding crime rates remained stable or declined over time, demonstrating that well-managed facilities can become part of a broader community solution.
These examples share a common theme: housing outcomes improve when services are coordinated, accessible and designed around long-term stability rather than short-term crisis management.
Project Nexus in Red Deer
Rather than requiring individuals to navigate multiple organizations scattered throughout the city, Project Nexus will bring housing supports, healthcare, mental health services, addiction treatment, employment assistance and other essential resources together within a coordinated campus model.
The goal is not simply to provide shelter beds. The vision is to create a pathway that helps individuals move from crisis to stability through integrated care and coordinated case management. By reducing barriers between services, individuals can receive support more quickly and efficiently, increasing the likelihood of long-term success.
Given that Indigenous peoples are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness locally, Project Nexus has made it a priority that Indigenous leadership, cultural supports and culturally safe programming are key elements in the overall design of the campus.
Ultimately, this endeavour represents an investment in both people and community outcomes. By shifting resources toward coordinated, evidence-based solutions, Red Deer has an opportunity to reduce homelessness, improve quality of life and lessen the long-term financial burden associated with emergency responses.