Horizon Housing Society

About Horizon Housing Society:

Founded in 1976, Horizon Housing Society (HHS) provides affordable and supportive housing to Calgarians with special needs. HHS serves low-income people struggling with mental health challenges, disabilities, addiction, homelessness, and domestic violence. The charity owns and operates 742 units across eight apartment buildings and eight group homes. HHS collaborates with other charities that refer tenants and provide required support services. HHS uses an integrated model where people with different special needs live alongside each other. This reduces the stigma associated with a particular group and promotes a sense of community among tenants.  

Horizon Housing Society offers long-term housing solutions. In F2018, the average tenancy was 6.8 years and the longest was 31 years. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment at HHS is $486, which is 54% lower than the average market rent for a one-bedroom in Calgary. In F2018, Horizon Housing Society had 707 tenants with 120 new tenants referred during the year. Families made up 37% of tenants, 37% were single males, and 26% were single females. In terms of special needs, 35% of tenants were people living with mental health challenges, 6% with brain injuries, 6% with physical disabilities, and 6% were seniors.  

In F2018, Horizon Housing Society completed the RESOLVE campaign. The charity partnered with eight other housing organizations to raise $74m, providing homes for 1,850 Calgarians. The campaign resulted in the purchase of one building and the construction of 17 buildings. Thanks to the campaign, HHS’s Glamorgan Development opened in fall of 2018, housing over 200 people. The charity also spent $920,607 on building upgrades this year.  

Results and Impact:

Horizon Housing Society provides housing for individuals who may otherwise be homeless. The charity reports that an estimated 3,200 Calgarians are homeless every night and 42,000 households are at risk of homelessness. It costs $55k per year to shelter and support a homeless person but only $21k per year to provide a home at HHS. This saves $34k per homeless person every year. In F2018, tenant satisfaction surveys reported 83% overall satisfaction. In addition, 81% were satisfied with cleanliness and 83% with security.  

Financial Review:

Horizon Housing Society is a small charity, receiving $814k in donations in F2018. This is down 93% since F2017. F2017 donations of $10.9m were likely related to the RESOLVE campaign that financed construction of the Glamorgan Development building. Administrative costs were 7% of revenues, and fundraising costs were 20% of donations. However, donations accounted for only 24% of total revenue, with almost all revenue derived from rental and government programs. The funding reserves are negative due to total debt of $13m. Excluding this debt, reserves would be $4.6m, which can cover program costs for 21 months. For every dollar donated, 60 cents go to HHS’s programs. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.   

This charity report is an update that is being reviewed by HHS. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on May 23, 2019 by Caroline McKenna.