Stepping Stone Manor is building up!

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Celebrating the kick-off event for CedarGlen Living’s Stepping Stone Manor

The sun was shining and the Lilac Festival was in full swing as volunteers worked to remove the photos from the front facade of the house at 222 15 Ave SW to move them to the construction fencing. The move is necessary as the house is about to be demolished in preparation for the soon to be construction 30 unit Affordable Housing apartment building that will be erected on the site.

The new construction is part of Calgary’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, where lack of affordable housing is recognized as one of the greatest deterrents to ending homelessness in our city. Seventy-percent funded by Alberta Municipal Affairs the remaining third is being contributed by Cedarglen Living as part of its $1.4 million commitment to the RESOLVE Campaign. Along with 11 other builders, Cedarglen Living has committed to provide the remaining 30% funding needed to build CHFs 8 new purposefully built apartments. In total, 240 units of housing will be built over the next 3.5 years.

We are excited.

The fence looks great and the future looks even brighter for the 30 individuals who will eventually call Stepping Stone Manor home. Thank you everyone who came out to support this exciting new development! In particular, thank you Carlos and Linda Hawke for your amazing work!

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Stepping Stone Manor kick-off a huge success!

Monday’s kick-off of Stepping Stone Manor, our new project in the Beltline Community was a wonderful success. Over 100 people attended the formal event and later, over 100 people dropped by to view the art, chat and hang wishes in the Wishing tree.

Huge kudos to the CHF Housing and Communications teams as well as Linda Hawke and This is My City Art Society (TMC) for their amazing work on the This is Where I Belong art project for the house and to The Calgary Foundation for your financial support.

And big thanks to everyone who came out to see, to chat, to write wishes and to support the event and the project. You are the people who make community great.

Stepping Stone Manor would not be in development without the support of Alberta Municipal Affairs, Alberta Human Services, the RESOLVE Campaign, Cedarglen Living and the other 11 home builders who have stepped up to ensure we have the resources necessary to build and house homeless Calgarians – and thus, end homelessness. Thank you Albi Homes, Brookfield Residential Properties, Calbridge Homes, Cardel Homes, Cedarglen Living, Centron, Homes by Avi, Hopewell Homes, Jayman MasterBUILT, Morrison Homes, Qualico and Shane Homes. 

Thank you also to the Beltline Community Association, The Victoria Park BRZ and all the business and home owners in the area who shared their feedback and their community with us. We look forward to being good neighbours!

Thank you also to the ‘models’ who allowed TMC photographer Azriel Knight to photograph them and to put their faces up on the house. You not only look amazing, you are amazing!

The event and project generated a lot of media attention. The Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Global TV, CBC radio and TV, CITY TV, CTV, Alberta PrimeTime, Metro Calgary, 660 NEWS all turned up either on the day of or before the event to share it with Calgarians. Thank you.

As with all great things, it takes great people to make it happen. Thank you everyone.

Some memorable moments from the day

Watching people write and hang wishes on the trees. In particular, the great niece of Dorothy who lived on one side of the house for over 40 years.

A member of Grateful or Dead who hung in memoriam wishes to people he knew who had died on the streets.

Three performers from Cavalia who stopped by at the end of the day and who scoffed at the idea of using a ladder to reach the upper branches. Instead, they simply took off their boots, one performer climbed onto the shoulers of the other and hung her wish. Incroyable!

It was an amazing day everyone! Thanks again. See you at the next one…

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