The Mustard Seed provides insight into the surge of homelessness in Calgary
By Jill Reeves, December 12 2024—
As economic hardship is felt throughout the city, the need for shelter and social services has increased.
A survey conducted by the Academia Forum stated that over 28 per cent of 1049 postsecondary student respondents had experienced homelessness in some form during their studies. For students, homelessness can be living temporarily with friends and family (22 per cent) or sleeping in a vehicle (3 per cent).
Many of the respondents had expressed that this was a result of the lack of affordable housing in Canada. The shelter cost for a single individual in Calgary jumped from $19,224 in 2023 to $21,520 in 2024 per year in Calgary, according to the Living Wage report from Vibrant Communities Calgary.
One local organization, the Mustard Seed, aims to aid those experiencing homelessness within the city.
Caleb Brown, the community engagement coordinator at the Mustard Seed, emphasized the sharp surge in numbers throughout the past few years. This trend includes the summer months, which, according to Brown, are normally not as full because more people live outside.
“We’ve seen more people coming to our shelters. I think it was two years ago, it was the first summer that we were at max capacity in our history,” said Brown. “We’ve been operating for 40 years and so that was a huge deal to see that in the summer.”
Beyond aiming to provide a safe and warm place to sleep, the Mustard Seed offers a variety of essential services to its users, including food hampers on holidays, access to employment coaches, computer labs, affordable daycare services and housing services.
When asked what he wished people understood about homelessness, Brown highlighted the common misconception that it is confined to a certain stereotype, and that homelessness is rather something that can affect anyone from any background.
“There have been times where there’s a young person at our shelter and they’re going to school. They’re going to a college or university, but they just can’t afford rent,” said Brown.
The Mustard Seed offers two locations within Calgary, including the recent establishment of a women’s only shelter in response to the need of women’s only spaces. Despite the total capacity of 410 beds between both locations, occupancy has remained nearly full every night.
“I think we’re at around 80 to 90 per cent occupancy, so, we don’t have a lot of space left in our housing as well,” said Brown. “The women’s shelter is completely full.”
The current economic landscape has also impacted the shelter itself, with the burden of high prices becoming a threatening barrier to providing accessible services to the community. In just the last few years, the cost of providing a meal to an individual at the shelter had increased from $3.60 to $5.30, indicating the financial pressures faced by these organizations.
As the coldest months of winter approach, shelters across Calgary will be continuing to offer aid to those affected by homelessness despite the increase of adverse conditions. However, there are ways that the local community can become part of the solution. Brown begins with compassion.
“It can be any organization people believe in. I can volunteer. I can donate. I can advocate for them. I can advocate for these people.”
More information about the Mustard Seed can be found on their website.