2025–2026
REPORT TO
COMMUNITY
ROOTED IN COMMUNITY.
BUILT FOR
THE FUTURE.
LAND
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Onward is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi and the people of Treaty 7, which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina, and the Îethka Stoney Nakoda Nations of Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Goodstoney. Mohkínsstsisi, the Blackfoot name for Calgary, is also home to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory (Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6). We recognize all nations, genders, and spirits who make their homes here and help us steward this land.
FIFTY YEARS OF HOME
FIFTY YEARS OF HOME
FIFTY YEARS
OF HOME
In 1976, a group of Calgarians looked at their city and saw a gap. Families who worked hard, seniors who had given decades to their communities, those who simply needed a stable place to land, too many of them were being priced out of the neighbourhoods they called home. So they built something to fix it.
That was 50 years ago. What began then is still growing today. Still building. Still keeping its promise.
Onward has never sold a home back to the market. Every home we have created remains affordable today and will remain affordable tomorrow. Affordability in perpetuity. That is what our charitable status guarantees, and it is what five decades of financial stewardship have protected. When we say home is forever, we mean it literally.
The Calgary that existed in 1976 is very different today. The city has grown from 470,000 to more than 1.6 million people.
Housing costs have climbed. The gap our founders set out to close has widened. But in that same period, Onward has grown from Horizon 14 and Carroll Place, with 160 units, to more than 2,200 homes across Calgary.
We have housed thousands of families, seniors, newcomers, and neighbors from all walks of life. We have kept our rents at roughly half of Calgary’s market average — not because a government agreement requires it, but because our structure is designed to make that permanent.
This report tells the story of the past year. But it also tells the story of what happens when a community commits to something for the long run. Fifty years of showing up. Fifty years of maintaining, expanding, and protecting affordable housing in a city that prides itself on leaving no one behind.
As we mark this milestone, the true celebration is not an event. It is the knowledge that 3,000 Calgarians today — and thousands more over the past 50 years — have found the peace of mind, stability, and sense of belonging that come with having a place to call home.
FROM OUR CEO
HOME IS FOREVER
“Home is forever. That is not a slogan. It is our legal structure, our financial approach, and our daily practice.”
When I think about what 50 years means for Onward, I keep coming back to the same thought: we are still here because the work still matters.
Deeply affordable community housing is no less urgent today than it was in 1976. If anything, the need has grown as our city’s population has more than tripled since the 1970s. What has also grown is our ability to meet that challenge. We are scaling with purpose. This year, we broke ground on Currie, a development that will bring 72 new affordable apartments and townhomes to one of Calgary’s most established neighbourhoods. Our development pipeline — with over 600 homes in active development and several hundred more possible through the redevelopment of existing sites — is stronger than ever. And we continue the work that rarely makes headlines but makes all the difference: maintaining our buildings, supporting our residents, and keeping rents at levels that allow people to truly live their lives.
Home is forever. That is not a slogan. It is our legal structure, our financial approach, and our daily practice. Every home in our portfolio will remain affordable in perpetuity — not because of a time-limited agreement, but because of who we are. Fifty years of keeping that promise is a milestone worth celebrating. And what we build from here matters every bit as much.
In addition to highlighting Onward's 2025–2026 year, this 50th anniversary report celebrates our past and invites you to share in what we are building for the future. For every resident who calls Onward home today — and for every Calgarian who will in the years ahead — we are just getting started.
Martina Jileckova
Chief Executive Officer
FROM OUR
BOARD CHAIR
BUILT TO LAST
“As Board Chair, I am proud of where Onward has been. As a Calgarian, I am grateful for where it is going.”
I have spent my career thinking about how cities work. What makes a neighbourhood hold together over time. And how a community is strengthened when everyone has a place within it. And I can tell you that what Onward has built over 50 years is rare.
Most affordable housing in Canada exists on a timeline. Agreements expire. Subsidies end.
Units return to market. Onward’s model is different because it was designed to be permanent. Our charitable status means that the homes in our portfolio today will still be affordable for the next generation, and the one after that. That is not an aspiration. It is how Onward is structured.
From a governance perspective, that permanence creates a different kind of responsibility. The Board’s role is not just to oversee operations for a fiscal year. It is to protect a 50-year legacy and ensure it continues. That means disciplined financial stewardship, thoughtful growth, and a commitment to the communities where our buildings sit.
This year, I have watched Onward grow in ways that honour our origins while meeting a moment that demands more. The Currie development. Our partnerships
with The City of Calgary and Canada Lands Company to develop lands with homes that will be affordable in perpetuity. The support of the provincial government for our new developments. The deepening of our partnership with the Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation —
our fundraising partner to make homes even more affordable. And many more. None of this happens without a team that believes in permanence as deeply as our
purpose requires it.
As Board Chair, I am proud of where Onward has been. As a Calgarian, I am grateful for where it is going.
Bryan Romanesky
Board Chair
MEANINGFUL IMPACT
& LASTING CHANGE
At Onward, home is the foundation for everything. Without a safe and affordable place to live, it is impossible to build a life. This understanding shapes every decision we make and every partnership we form.
OUR PURPOSE
We build and own affordable, well-cared-for homes — the foundation for well-being and belonging.
OUR VALUES
Accountability + Care + Teamwork.
These values guide how we serve our residents, steward our buildings, and collaborate with others to build vibrant, inclusive communities.
OUR PROMISE
Residents come first in every home we build and care for. And we welcome pets too, so no one has to choose between a home and the companions they love.
OUR VISION
With homes for all, people and communities thrive.
WHY IT MATTERS
When people have a home they can afford and a community that supports them, they gain the foundation to thrive. That is the future Onward builds. One home. One family. One address at a time.
OUR HISTORY
OUR HISTORY
FIFTY YEARS
OF HOME
Onward’s story began 50 years ago as two separate entities, Hari Housing Society (later Horizon Housing) and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Association for Senior Citizens (later Bishop O’Byrne Housing and Forward Housing), that grew, renamed, and came together over five decades to become the Onward Homes Society we know today.
- Hari Housing Society established
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Association for Senior Citizens incorporated
- Marguerite House opens in Radisson Heights
- Roberts House opens in Bankview
- Carroll Place opens 100 homes in Brentwood
- Columbus Manor opens 99 homes in Bridgeland
- St. James Court opens 23 homes in North Glenmore
- Horizon West opens 108 homes in Glendale
- Hunter House opens in Mayland Heights
- Francis Klein Centre opens 104 homes in Acadia
- Horizon Park opens 35 homes in the Beltline
- Albert House opens in Glendale
- St. Paul’s Villa opens 50 homes in Tuxedo
- Keith House opens in Mount Pleasant
- Horizon Housing Society receives charitable status from Canada Revenue Agency
- Horizon 8 opens 50 homes in Downtown West End
- Good Cheer House opens in Tuxedo
- Bishop O’Byrne Housing for Seniors Association renamed Forward Housing
- The Elan opens 62 homes in the Beltline
- Bishop's Manor opens 104 homes in Bridgeland
- Triwood opens 24 homes in Triwood
- Horizon 12 opens 33 homes in the Beltline
- Horizon Ridge opens 65 homes in Pineridge
- Forward Housing and Horizon Housing merge
- Onward Homes rebrands
- Place Cam Helene opens 43 homes in the Beltline
- Horizon 31 opens 29 homes in Killarney
- King Tower and Murdoch Manor with 503 homes in Downtown East Village
Two Founding Stories, One Shared Mission
That was one of the two threads that would eventually weave together to form Onward. The other was taking shape during the same era.
Forward Housing emerged from a shared commitment to community partnership and the belief that everyone deserves the dignity, stability, and opportunity that come with having a place to call home.
Though their paths began separately, both community housing providers were founded on the same enduring conviction: that safe, affordable housing changes lives and strengthens communities. In 1976, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary took its first formal step into affordable housing with the incorporation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Association for Senior Citizens. Working in partnership with Knights of Columbus councils across the city, they opened four seniors’ residences — Carroll Place, Anthonian Court, Francis Klein Centre, and St. James Court — providing generations of Calgary seniors with safe, affordable homes over decades.
Over time, that work evolved under the names Bishop O’Byrne Housing Association and later Forward Housing, expanding impact while remaining rooted in the same spirit of service and partnership. Eventually,
Forward joined with Horizon Housing to create Onward.
Two community housing providers. Two founding stories. One shared purpose. Born in the same era and grounded in the same belief — that everyone deserves the dignity of a safe, affordable home — both providers built lasting partnerships and stronger communities.
Today, those two threads continue as one through Onward.
COLLABORATION LEADS TO STRONG COMMUNITY
“As we celebrate Onward’s 50th anniversary, I am reminded that partnership has been at the heart of our mission since its founding in 1976. Our story began with a partnership-driven vision, and five decades later, collaboration remains central to everything we do.”
Linda McLean
Executive Director, CMHA Calgary
In fact, Onward’s story begins not with one founding partnership, but with two, taking shape across Calgary in those early years, each rooted in the same belief: that everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to call home.
One of these partnerships emerged from a challenge. In the 1970s, board members of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Calgary were working to create housing for people seeking mental health supports, but a stand-alone group home met significant community opposition. Rather than abandon the goal, community leaders envisioned something better: an inclusive model that would house people with mental health challenges alongside others facing barriers, fostering belonging and dignity.
The concept was championed by CMHA Calgary Executive Director Ron LaJeunesse and board members Darol Hamilton and Jim Rise.
Combining the first letters of Hamilton and Rise, they created the name Hari Housing. While Hari later became Horizon Housing, the mission has held: safe, affordable housing and support for those who need it most.
CMHA Calgary, one of Onward’s closest and longest-standing partners, provides support to more than 1,000 Calgarians living with persistent mental illness to help them maintain stable housing and avoid the crises that can lead to homelessness.
The work you do is a continuing expression of our shared call to love our neighbours in the most practical and meaningful of ways.”
Bishop William T. McGrattan
Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
-
June 3, 2026
Dear Friends and Supporters on Onward Homes,
I am honoured to offer, on behalf of the faithful of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, my congratulations and gratitude as Onward Homes marks fifty years of affordable housing service in our city.
In 1976, the Diocese took its first formal step in this mission with the incorporation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary Association for Senior Citizens. Rooted in Catholic social teaching and a firm belief in the dignity of every person, that organization partnered with Knights of Columbus councils across Calgary to open four seniors’ buildings, Carroll Place, Anthonian Court, Francis Klein Centre, and St. James Court. These buildings have been providing hundreds of seniors with safe and affordable homes.
Over the decades, this work expanded under the names Bishop O’Byrne Housing Association and Forward Housing, and ultimately merged with Horizon Housing to form Onward Homes. Each chapter has reflected the same founding values: service, stewardship, solidarity with those in need, and hope that comes with a place to call home.
The Diocese is deeply proud of this legacy and deeply grateful to all who have carried it forward. To the past and present staff, boards, donors, and residents of Onward Homes, THANK YOU. The work you do is a continuing expression of our shared call to love our neighbours in the most practical and meaningful of ways.
As you celebrate this milestone, I offer my prayers and best wishes for the continued success of Onward Homes and its important mission in the years ahead.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary
WORTH
FIGHTING FOR
Not every building goes up without a fight. The Bob Ward Residence faced opposition, funding shortfalls, and months of delays, but like-minded Calgarians refused to walk away. With the support from the BILD Calgary Region Foundation (formerly Canadian Home Builders' Association — Calgary Region Foundation), when the keys were handed over in October 2003, two months ahead of schedule, it became home to 70 Calgarians who needed somewhere safe to belong.
That determination and collaborative spirit built Onward. And that’s why we are still here today.
LIFE AT ONWARD
LIFE AT ONWARD
SNAPSHOT OF THIS
YEAR AT ONWARD
$810
AVERAGE ONE-BEDROOM RENT
$825
AVERAGE RENT FOR ALL UNIT TYPES
2,228
TOTAL HOMES
3,000
TOTAL RESIDENTS
600+ Homes in development pipeline
34 Buildings across Calgary
260+ Homes with pets
15,000
PEOPLE
Housed since 1976
Cumulative estimate based on historical average household size and length of tenancy
5.4
YEARS
Average Tenancy
FROM OUR COO
CREATING BELONGING,
NOT JUST BUILDINGS
Fifty years of keeping a promise is not an accident. It's what happens when the people caring for our buildings understand that they are really creating stability for those who call them home.
In the private sector, an asset is often a line item on a balance sheet. At Onward, an asset is a lifeline. That distinction shapes every decision our operations team makes, and it informed much of our work this year.
We moved to a unified portfolio strategy, treating our more than 2,200 homes as one interconnected ecosystem rather than a collection of individual buildings. That shift helped us find efficiencies, unlock capital, and integrate new homes without losing focus on the residents already living in our communities. We know that for many residents, stable housing is the foundation that everything else depends on. That reality raises the bar on what we expect of ourselves.
The work I am most proud of this year sits at the intersection of building performance and resident well-being. We designed a project to reduce emissions by 25 per cent across a portion of our portfolio. For many residents, energy costs are not an abstract concern. Improving building performance helps reduce costs for the people least able to absorb them. We are not just reducing carbon emissions — we are helping protect housing stability.
Every dollar our operations team spends has two jobs: to keep existing homes safe, efficient, and well maintained, and to help ensure the next family in need of affordable housing can find a dignified and permanent place to call home. That has always been our standard. After 50 years, I am proud of the progress we have made — and even more excited about what comes next.
Chris Slater
Chief Operating Officer
“Fifty years of keeping a promise isn't an accident. It's what happens when caring for buildings means creating stability for those who call them home.”
OUR RESIDENTS
OUR PURPOSE
What does fifty years of affordable housing actually look like? Ask the residents, and the answer is about belonging, stability, and the quiet freedom of a place to call home.
RON
For Ron, home is independence. He and his wife have lived at Horizon Park since the early 1990s. He does not drive, so the building’s transit connections are not a convenience — they are his link to the city, to the job he walked to before retiring, and to a life lived on his own terms. From his window he looks out on the old school across the street, the one used as a backdrop in the Superman films of the 1970s, a small daily reminder of how much history this corner of Calgary holds. Ask him what the place means and he keeps it simple. It is “somewhere you can hang your hat.” It is good neighbours, the kind where “you know exactly what their problem is and they know yours,” so you can lean on each other when you need to.
YVES
Yves, an Onward resident for nearly twenty-three years, found something at Onward he had not had in years: his own kitchen. For eight years in a boarding house, his meals were instant ramen and canned Chef Boyardee. At Onward, he could finally cook for himself. “Life totally changed,” he says. He calls himself a bit of a loner, yet over the years he has helped run art walks, lent a hand starting a community garden, and volunteered enough to win the Tim Grass Memorial Award as Volunteer of the Year in 2007. “It’s nice to feel part of something, no matter what.” Asked what he would want Calgarians to understand about affordable housing, his answer came without hesitation. “Peace of mind.”
BETTY
Betty arrived at Carroll Place in 1999, two years after losing her husband, drawn to Calgary by her three children and to her new home by its closeness to her church, her bank, and the library. Twenty-six years later, she has marked her 80th, 90th, 95th, and 97th birthdays in the building’s lounge, surrounded by family and by neighbours who turn up with cake. That is what a home becomes over time. Not just walls, but people who notice you.
Three people. Three very different paths
to the same front door.
The common thread is what fifty years of Onward has always been about. A home you do not age out of. A community that holds you. The security of knowing the place will still be there tomorrow, and the year after that.
HOME + HEART:
COMMUNITY LIFE
AT ONWARD
At Onward, building community is as important as building homes. A safe, affordable home provides stability. Connections with neighbours, services and opportunities help residents build a sense of belonging.
This year, resident resource fairs connected residents with more than 20 social service agencies and community support providers. Activities ranged from wellness workshops and light exercise to recreation, family activities, and English conversation circles, reflecting residents’ diverse interests and needs.
Community safety is part of this work. Meet-and-greet sessions and safety discussions with the Calgary Police Service and Calgary Fire Department helped residents access practical information, ask questions and build relationships with the people who serve their communities.
We also got a gardening project at Bishop’s Manor underway this year, which brought residents together to grow food, share knowledge, and connect outdoors. Many families signed up to participate and we hope to continue the successful program next year.
Through partnerships and everyday interactions, our team helps residents access support, build confidence and feel more connected to their community. Sometimes, a simple connection can make a lasting difference.
POWERED BY PEOPLE
MEET OUR TEAM
“Fostering a workplace where people stay, grow, and thrive means aligning our collective energy with our core mission: stable, dignified housing across Calgary."
Behind every well-maintained building, every answered call, and every resident who feels supported, there is a dedicated team showing up every day because they believe in this mission.
Onward’s workforce has scaled alongside our housing portfolio.
Today, nearly 80 professionals work across asset and property management, including resident and building services, development, finance, engagement, and administration, collaborating seamlessly to support more than 2,200 homes and 3,000 residents.
Equally important, we are seeing remarkable cultural momentum: a resounding majority of Onward team members enthusiastically champion Onward as a top workplace.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we honour those who have always been Onward's greatest strength: our people. Our foundation remains deeply anchored in the loyalty and dedication of our team members. Some of our team members have devoted decades of their careers to our work, including valued colleagues with 14 and 18 years of service, and trailblazers who have been an integral part of the Onward story for more than 21 years.
Ryan Oliver
Director, Human Resources
HEART AND HANDS
HEART AND HANDS
PARTNERSHIP
IS KEY
OUR PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS
Our private sector partnerships make a significant difference. While our charitable structure protects affordability, the private sector makes delivery possible. Our partners, builders, architects, engineers, trades, and consultants, sometimes nearly one hundred on a single project, help us build high-quality homes efficiently and cost effectively.
These partnerships bring innovation, creativity, and a shared commitment to strong communities. Many contribute not just their services but their ingenuity and belief in the cause.
Onward ensures affordability in perpetuity and resident support. Our partners deliver the design and building expertise. Together, we create homes that are affordable forever and built to last.
OUR COMMUNITY AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
Our social service agency partnerships strengthen lives beyond housing. Safe, affordable housing is the foundation, but lasting housing stability is built through connection, support, and opportunity. More than 60 community agencies work alongside Onward to help residents access the services they need to thrive.
These partnerships bring expertise, compassion, and a shared commitment to help people build stable, independent lives. Together, we remove barriers, foster belonging, and create pathways to greater well-being. Onward provides safe affordable homes. Our community partners support residents, with empowering programs and services. Together, we are building brighter futures.
THANK YOU TO
OUR PARTNERS
“Together with our private sector and community agency partners, we are building stronger communities, where people belong, thrive and succeed.”
The stories of Onward's origin and growth over the years, rooted in community partnership, remind us that meaningful change does not happen alone. Our ability to provide homes, foster stability, and create opportunities has always depended on the strength of our partnerships. From our earliest days to the present, partners like the Canadian Mental Health Association and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary have helped shape our purpose and expand our impact.
As we mark this milestone anniversary, we extend our deepest gratitude to every social service agency, funder, government partner, donor, and community leader who has walked alongside us. Together, we have transformed shared aspirations into real homes and stronger communities. Together, we continue to build a future where every Calgarian has a safe, affordable place to call home.
Bev Jarvis
Director, Engagement and Communications
THANK YOU
TO OUR PARTNERS
Onward is honoured to work alongside an extensive network of referral and support partner agencies. Our partners play a vital role in connecting Calgarians to safe, affordable housing and in providing the wraparound supports that help our residents thrive. Their confidence in our mission and investment in our work are helping to bring more affordable homes to life across Calgary.
BUILDING WHAT'S NEXT
BUILDING WHAT'S NEXT
CLOSING THE GAP
AFFORDABILITY IN CALGARY
Calgary’s housing landscape is shifting. For Calgarians earning a modest income, the math is getting harder. The gap between what the market charges and what many families can afford continues to widen.
That is where non-profit housing providers like Onward do their most important work. Our average one-bedroom rent of $810 is roughly half of Calgary’s market average. For the 3,000 residents who make their homes with us that difference is not abstract. It is groceries, medication, a child’s school supplies, or simply the ability to sleep without worrying about next month.
Calgary’s absolute number of people experiencing homelessness has held roughly steady over the past 15 years, even as the city’s population has grown significantly. That is not an accident. It is the result of continued investment in affordable housing providers who have kept pace with growth. Without that, the numbers would look very different. This year, Calgary’s affordable housing conversation has included housing supply and record market development activity, downtown office-to-residential conversions, affordable housing and non-market housing investment, homelessness, encampments and supportive housing, as well as intergovernmental funding and housing policy. Onward has been part of that conversation, not as an advocate with an agenda, but as a practitioner with 50 years of evidence about what works. What works is permanence. What works is the mixed-income model. What works is keeping rents low — not because a government agreement requires it — but because Onward’s model is designed to keep rents affordable in perpetuity. Onward’s 50-year track record makes the case and the data supports it.
INVESTING IN
THE FUTURE
When Onward was founded in 1976, the development pipeline was simple: build what the community needs. The principle has not changed. The scale has.
“After five decades of
affordable housing, Onward is building for the next 50 years, investing in stronger communities and a future where more Calgarians have a safe, affordable place to call home.”
Onward has a robust development pipeline with the Currie projects under construction leading the way. Every home in our development pipeline represents an opportunity to provide safe affordable housing to someone in need. And every new home added to our portfolio is a home that will remain affordable permanently.
Today, we have over 650 homes in various stages of development across six sites and ten buildings — translating into homes for approximately 1,000 more Calgarians. The need for affordable housing remains urgent and persistent, and our commitment to ensuring every Calgarian has a place to call home is unwavering.
We are deeply grateful to our government partners for their trust and for the critical funding, land and growth opportunities that make this work possible.
Looking further ahead, the lands we already own hold the promise of welcoming even more Calgarians home. Through thoughtful redevelopment, we can build on the legacy of these properties, creating more affordable homes and renewing the places where residents build their lives. These lands connect the generosity and foresight of those who came before us with the needs of generations to come. By caring for what we have and imagining what it can become, we are laying the foundation for Onward’s next 50 years.
Ian Nash
Chief Development Officer
OUR NEXT
CHAPTER
THE CURRIE 1 & 2 DEVELOPMENT
In the Currie neighbourhood, something is taking shape. 72 new homes — apartments and townhomes — designed to be affordable permanently.
Currie is not just a construction project. It is the answer to a question Onward has been asking for 50 years: how do we keep building deeply affordable homes in a city where the need grows faster than the supply?
The answer is partnerships, disciplined planning, and a financial model that turns every dollar into permanence. Onward was honoured to be chosen as the designated affordable housing developer for Currie by the federal government through the Federal Lands Initiative and to collaborate closely with the community developer, Build Canada Homes (formerly Canada Lands Company).
The Currie development will welcome 62 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 10 three-bedroom townhouses with rents set at levels consistent with Onward’s mixed-income model including deeply affordable rents. Residents will have access to extensive parks and green space with recreational amenities including playgrounds, walking paths, skating rink, dog park, amphitheatre, and a toboggan hill.
This project is also made possible by the partnership between Onward and the Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation (CAHF), building on the legacy of the successful RESOLVE Campaign. CAHF brings expertise in fund development and, together, we are bringing new affordable homes
to life in one of Calgary’s most established communities.
BUILT TO LAST
BUILT TO LAST
FROM OUR CFO
“What I know now is that affordable housing finance is more complicated than anything I have worked in, and more rewarding than all of it.”
I started my career in public accounting, then spent nearly 30 years in oil and gas and other industries before joining Onward. If you had asked me then whether I would end up here, I would not have believed it. What I know now is that affordable housing finance is more complicated than anything I have worked in, and more rewarding than all of it.
The key difference is where the money goes. In every for-profit company I worked in, there was an equity leak: profits flowed out to dividends, shareholders, and bonuses. Not here. Every dollar Onward generates feeds back into the mission. More homes. Better buildings. Greater capacity to serve.
Growth compounds back into Onward rather than out of it, and watching that work over time is genuinely something. This year, growth was tangible. New units were absorbed into the portfolio, Currie 1 and 2 moved toward construction, and Onward grew to over 2,200 homes. Managing that scale means thinking longterm, not in quarters. We build well today because we will own these buildings forever. Shortcuts are not an option.
What I am most proud of is the foundation we operate from. The team that built Onward over 50 years created cash flows and structures that let us run without depending on government operating grants. That independence is the result of 50 years of careful stewardship, and it is what gives me the most confidence about the next 50.
Stephen Cole
Chief Financial Officer
INVESTING IN STABILITY, GROWTH, AND THE FUTURE
Financial stewardship has always been at the core of Onward’s model. Our charitable structure exists to keep housing affordable permanently, and that permanence depends on disciplined financial management year after year.
$5.6M
Onward invested $5.6 million in assets, reflecting early stage development of new properties and healthy capital replacement programs.
$8.2M
Reserve funds include $2.9 million allocated for future housing development and $5.3 million in replacement reserves to safeguard the integrity of our buildings.
$1.7M
Onward reduced its long-term debt by more than $1.7 million. Onward will return $438,000 in prior-year surplus to the Government of Alberta, as part of our stewardship responsibilities.
The financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2026, received an unqualified opinion from our independent auditors, affirming the accuracy and transparency of our financial reporting.
Our financial position reflects the same principle that has guided Onward for 50 years: invest in stability, plan for growth, and protect the affordability that residents depend on.
Annual revenue
(primarily from rent and government capital grants)
$27.9M
Operating cash flow
$6.8M
Combined reserve funds
$15.9M
Annual surplus
(reinvested in capital, services and reserve growth)
$3.2M
Year-end cash balance
$11.3M
Long-term debt
(well-managed across 14 properties)
$58.9M
Total assets
$178.8M
The foregoing represents the combined financial statements of Onward Homes Society and Horizon West Society.
Download the full financial statements: 2025 Onward Homes Society Financial Statements
HOME FOR ALL
HOME FOR ALL
JOIN US
HELP BUILD
BELONGING
Every home in Onward’s portfolio exists because someone believed affordable housing should last. You can be part of that story. Whether you donate, volunteer, partner with us, or simply share our work with someone who needs to hear it, you are helping build the foundation that 3,000 Calgarians depend on every day.
Building on the legacy of the successful RESOLVE Campaign, Onward is grateful with the Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation to advance the development of affordable housing for Calgarians in need.
Together, we are bringing to life the Currie apartment and townhouse project, creating 72 much-needed affordable homes. We are enthusiastic about this partnership and the opportunity to raise capital funds that will help realize Onward’s promise of providing safe, stable, and affordable housing — homes that transform lives and strengthen communities.
DONATE
WAYS TO GIVE
Your contribution directly supports affordable housing that lasts. Every dollar helps us maintain, grow, and protect homes for Calgarians in need.
Donations can be made securely through CanadaHelps. Charitable Registration No. 121963573RR0001
PARTNER WITH US
Organizations, funders, and community leaders who share our mission are invited to explore partnership opportunities.
Website: onwardhomes.ca
Email: hello@onwardhomes.ca
A THANK YOU TO OUR
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
When we look back across 50 years, what we see most clearly is people. The people who gave, who partnered, who advocated, who volunteered, and who refused to accept that affordable housing was someone else’s problem. Among them are our Board members, past and present, whose volunteer leadership, thoughtful stewardship, and belief in homes for all have helped shape Onward’s journey.
A THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY
To every social service agency, government partner, funder, donor, and community leader who has been part of this journey: this milestone belongs to you as much as it belongs to us. You helped turn a vision into homes. You sustained this work through challenges. And you celebrated with us every time a Calgarian found their way home.
50 years in, our gratitude is as deep as our commitment. Together, we are working toward a future where every Calgarian is home.