Rebuilding Futures: Family Apartment Renovation

Domestic violence in Canada is at a 10-year high.One woman is killed every six days by an intimate partner, and 44% of women and girls over 15 have experienced intimate partner violence. Family violence is now the leading cause of homelessness for women and children. The need for safe, secure housing that fosters dignity and healing has never been more urgent.

For 45 years, Discovery House has supported familiesleaving domestic violence, operatingthe first, now 1 of 3, second-stage shelters in Calgary. Since 2002, our secure building has served families with 19 self-contained apartments, communal spaces, and an outdoor courtyard. It also houses our Child Development Centre, administrative offices, and programming hub. We support over 100 families annually through our shelter and Community Housing Programs and are the only provider in Calgary equipped to serve large families, with apartments offering up to four bedrooms.

Earlier this year, two major floods damaged our facility, impacting 6 of 19 apartments and several communal areas, offices, and healing spaces. This reduced our shelter capacity by nearly one-third, displaced families, and impacted our ability to offer critical services. Longer wait times and reduced availability directly harm vulnerable families seeking safety. Quick restoration is essential—not just for us, but for the entire sector.

Even before the floods, all 19 apartments were overdue for upgrades after 20+ years of use. The damage has created both urgency and opportunity to make necessary updates that enhance healing and comfort. Renovations will begin with flood-damaged family apartments and continue as apartments turn over, ensuring no family is displaced.

Each unit upgrade will improve layout, lighting, soundproofing, and accessibility. We’ll replace cabinetry, counters, fixtures, flooring, and paint using trauma-informed design elements that promote calm and recovery. The new materials are intentionally picked not only for trauma-informed design but for longevity and durability.One apartment has already been upgraded and converted into an accessible family apartment.

We seek support to renovate one apartment, helping us recover from flood damage, enhance the daily lives of families in crisis, and continue serving 500+ clients annually. Your gift will help break the cycle of abuse and create safe, healing spaces where women and children can rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.

Calgary’s housing crisis affects everyone, but the impact is especially severe for women and children who are leaving domestic violence. These families often struggle to find safe, stable housing, and larger families face even greater barriers. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness for women and children in Canada, and this shelter suite upgrade will directly support some of our city’s most vulnerable residents.

At Discovery House, we serve women-identifying and non-binary individuals who are pregnant or actively parenting and have experienced domestic violence. Families often arrive at our shelter with little more than a few bags, facing a range of emotional, physical, and financial challenges. The majority are living far below Alberta’s low-income cutoff, with the average family surviving on just $23,076 per year. Many of the women we support are in extreme danger, of those in our shelter andcompleted a danger assessment, 95% were at risk of being killed by an abusive partner.

The children we serve are also deeply affected. Last year, 68% of our clients were children, many of whom have witnessed or experienced significant trauma. A large proportion of mothers also face mental health challenges (48%), physical health concerns (36%), and substance use issues (28%), all of which can be compounded by inadequate or unsafe housing.

This project will also benefit Indigenous families and racialized communities, who are disproportionately impacted by domestic violence in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, 66% of Indigenous women and 1 in 3 visible minority women experience intimate partner violence. These numbers are reflected in our client population, with 42% identifying as Indigenous and 30% as visible minorities.

By upgrading our shelter suites, we will provide safer, more dignified living environments that support healing, stability, and long-term recovery. This investment will help families move from crisis toward safety and independence, while also addressing the systemic barriers that contribute to the cycle of violence and homelessness.