A Calgary-based women's non-profit organization has forged a groundbreaking partnership with a local real estate agency to launch an innovative program designed to help women and girls at risk of homelessness achieve the dream of home ownership. The Safe Haven Foundation, in collaboration with Dolce Real Estate, unveiled the Haven's Rise initiative on Thursday, marking a significant step toward addressing housing insecurity among vulnerable populations in the city.
Building Pathways to Financial Stability
The program represents a visionary approach to social support, moving beyond temporary assistance to create lasting solutions. Alicia Ryan, co-founder of Dolce Real Estate, conceived the idea three years ago with a desire to make a tangible, measurable impact on society. "I wanted to make a bigger impact on society than just donating money and not seeing where that impact lay," Ryan explained during the program's announcement.
Rather than traditional charitable donations, Ryan proposed establishing a trust fund fueled by a percentage of the real estate agency's commissions. This sustainable funding model will provide down payment assistance for qualified participants who have demonstrated financial readiness through the program's comprehensive educational requirements.
Educational Foundation for Success
Prospective homebuyers must complete an extensive educational series covering all aspects of the home ownership process. "Educating them about the mortgage process, they have to learn how to save properly, how to be able to maintain their credit... the home inspection aspect," Ryan detailed. "For them to be able to feel confident and educated to be able to step into home ownership and when they're ready, and that's when we step in and just help them with the last hurdle."
Krystyna Lloyd, executive director of the Safe Haven Foundation, emphasized that the program will be available to both current clients and alumni of the foundation's services, including those with partners. "The reality is that some of the alumni that apply will have partners, and might be purchasing a home with one of their partners," Lloyd noted. "A big element of the framework is ensuring that the gift is protected no matter what. So if they sign a cohabitation agreement and if things end or they part ways, the gift returns to the young woman. She always has choice."
Rigorous Qualification Requirements
Participants must meet stringent financial criteria to qualify for the program. Women must provide proof of financial stability, including maintaining healthy savings accounts and holding steady employment. Crucially, they must also qualify for a mortgage independently, demonstrating their capacity to sustain home ownership long-term.
The foundation and agency are collaborating with an undisclosed mortgage lender who will work directly with program participants to help them meet mortgage qualification standards. Currently, fifteen women are actively engaged in the pathway to financial stability through the program, with organizers hopeful that at least one participant will be ready to purchase a home by next year.
Addressing Root Causes of Homelessness
The Safe Haven Foundation serves women and girls who are often on the brink of homelessness, providing a continuum of support services to help them rebuild their lives. Clients typically begin their journey at Haven's Way, a residential facility with live-in house parents and support coaches who help participants heal from past traumas and develop essential life skills.
Ryan expressed profound enthusiasm about the program's potential impact, drawing from her experience in traditional real estate transactions. "When I hand over the keys to my own clients that I've worked with, and knowing how excited they are, it's something that you get to call your own home," she shared, anticipating the emotional significance of helping program participants achieve this milestone.
This innovative partnership between a social service organization and a business entity represents a model for community-based solutions to complex social challenges, combining financial resources with educational support to create sustainable pathways out of housing insecurity for Calgary's most vulnerable women and girls.
