There are awards for building something new. Onward’s most recent award is different, and that difference is exactly why it matters to us.
At its Industry Awards, the Calgary Residential Rental Association named Onward its Social Housing Provider of the Year. It’s an honour judged not on a single project or one good year, but on the things that are hard to see from the outside and harder to sustain: how well homes are managed over time, how residents are supported, how partnerships hold up, how a social housing provider shows up day after day for the people who depend on it. Recognition from peers across Calgary’s housing sector, measured on that, means a great deal.
It also arrives at a meaningful moment. This year Onward marks 50 years of affordable housing in Calgary. Five decades is long enough to see what lasts and what doesn’t, and the lesson we keep coming back to is that affordable housing only works if it stays affordable. A home that’s within reach today but priced out of reach in ten years hasn’t solved anything. It’s just delayed the problem.
That conviction is built into how we operate. We build affordable homes, we own them, and we keep them affordable for good. As a charity, we reinvest in our homes and our residents rather than distributing returns, which means there’s no point where the mission expires or the rent quietly resets to market. The affordability stays in place for the people who live in our homes now, and for the people who will call them home long after.
You can see that play out across our communities. We build mixed-income neighbourhoods where affordable and market homes sit side by side, because a good community isn’t sorted by income. We pair housing with the supports that help people stay stable and connected, because a home is a foundation, not just a roof. And we keep growing that footprint, with developments like the Currie townhomes adding more homes to the city’s affordable supply.
This award is the recognition of the effort of all members of our Onward team. Whether they support residents directly, maintain our homes, develop new housing, manage our finances, advocate for our mission, or work behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly, their dedication makes this possible. Every interaction, every decision, and every act of care contributes to creating homes where people can build stability, well-being, and belonging.
It’s the work of staff who know residents by name and answer the call when something breaks, partners who help us build and sustain what we build, and residents who turn our homes into genuine communities. This award belongs to them.
We’re grateful to the CRRA for the recognition, and grateful to everyone who has been part of Onward’s legacy for the past 50 years. We’ll carry this into the next 50.
