17 community organizations are raising the profile of affordable housing with three policy recommendations as the Alberta election heats up

Now is the time to invest in affordable housing

The Social Policy Collaborative discusses issues with income support in op-ed

Opinion: Why do we penalize people who work while on Income Support?

Community Agencies Support Research on an Alberta Guaranteed Basic Income

The Calgary Social Policy Collaborative (SPC) is a group of social service organizations who have collectively resourced policy advocacy. The SPC provides a non-partisan platform for the human services sector to bring a clear and collective voice to government to advance policy opportunities that address the most pressing challenges faced by vulnerable Albertans. The group is co-chaired by Vibrant Communities Calgary and The Alex. 

The Social Policy Community of Practice is open to all who work in the human services sector and provides a platform for organizations that do not have the capacity or resources to collaborate on advocacy issues but wish to share information on what is happening in the policy arena, to build capacity, and to provide recommendations and ideas to the SPC.

On March 25, 2024 the Social Policy Collaborative submitted a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Calgary City Council in support of Citywide zoning.  

2024Mar25-SPC-CitywideRezoningSupportLetter.pdf

Letter of Support for Calgary Citywide zoning

The Social Policy Collaborative outlines three key policy recommendations to help the provincial government meet its commitment to Albertans in need of affordable housing. The brief also highlights recent polling data showing that 70% of Albertans agree that the provincial government has an obligation to invest in building new affordable housing units.

Growing Alberta Affordable Housing Stock and Systems.pdf

A path to recovery: Growing Alberta's affordable housing stock and recovery-oriented support systems

The Calgary Social Policy Collaborative asked housing expert Dr. Nick Falvo to complete a situational analysis and identify opportunities for housing affordability advocacy at the provincial level. The Affordable Housing Brief lays out general themes, key research and facts as well as the existing policy landscape.

Affordable Housing Advocacy Brief i.pdf

Calgary Social Policy Collaborative: Affordable Housing Brief 

Albertans are facing elevated levels of unemployment, employment volatility, and income instability as we work to recover from the overlapping crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the crash in oil prices that have shocked Alberta’s economy. This brief highlights opportunities to improve the effectiveness of Alberta’s Income and Employment Support programs. These programs will be essential to the province’s economic recovery as Albertans seek support to meet their essential needs and find new opportunities to become self-sufficient through employment.

SPC-Income-Support-Policy-Brief-2020.pdf

Social Policy Collaborative Income Support Policy Brief

The child benefit is a preventative policy that keeps struggling families with children out of poverty. The pathway to resilience begins in childhood: fewer children living in poverty now, leads to more independent adults in the future. 

improving-the-effectiveness-of-income-supports_social-policy-collaborative.pdf

Social Policy Collaborative Policy Brief: Improving the Effectiveness of Income Supports

Members of the SPC identified a need for greater research capacity in the social services sector. To that end, 11 organizations pooled resources to financially support the work of social policy researchers at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.

The second of two reports supported through this research partnership, An Alberta Guaranteed Basic Income: Issues and Options proposes a self-financing Alberta Guaranteed Basic Income (AGBI) made possible through modest changes to the tax system. This brief provides an overview of the context within which basic income discussions are unfolding, both locally and internationally; summarizes the key elements of the AGBI proposal; and offers an analysis through the lens of the SPC’s objective of informing the development and implementation of policies that improve economic and social well-being of Albertans.

SPC-Response-to-An-Alberta-Guarantee-Basic-Income-Issues-and-options-05_2019.pdf

An Alberta Guaranteed Basic Income: Issues and Options  - Response from the Calgary Social Policy Collaborative

Members of the SPC identified a need for greater research capacity in the social services sector to identify and develop evidence-based policy recommendations that address the needs of our community. To that end, eleven organizations pooled resources to financially support the work of social policy researchers at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.

The first of two reports, Measuring and Responding to Income Poverty: Concepts and Possibilities, adds clarity to our understanding of the prevalence of poverty in Alberta, the shortcomings of our Income Support system, as well as an interesting proposal to address housing affordability challenges for people accessing social assistance. This brief addresses the key recommendations of the report.

SPC-Response-to-Measuring-and-Responding-to-Income-Poverty-Concepts-and-Possibilities.pdf

Measuring and Responding to Income Poverty: Response from the Calgary Social Policy Collaborative

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