Social Development enriches the lives of Edmontonians through the provision of leadership and expertise to community, corporate and departmental initiatives.
Branch Mandate
Serving Edmontonians who don’t always have access or opportunity to fully participate in civic life is an important responsibility. Many of our citizens are houseless and many spend a significant amount of their income on shelter costs. Others are dealing with the impacts of poverty, violence and mental illness. Social Development is tasked with changing and implementing systems to address these issues. We provide access to services and resources for people trying to overcome social and economic barriers. The branch also convenes and supports equity-seeking communities, neighbourhoods, social agencies and non-profit organizations that are dedicated to making this a more inclusive, safe and welcoming city.
Social Development
The branch is committed to building relationships in the spirit of reconciliation and good relations, and convenes, supports, and builds the capacity of communities, neighbourhoods, social agencies and non-profit organizations, particularly those with a focus on equity-deserving communities, that are dedicated to making a more inclusive, safe and welcoming city. We do this by:
- Engaging in proactive social planning, utilizing strategic foresight to understand city growth, demographic changes, and local to global trends
- Using qualitative and quantitative evidence and community input to understand the social health of the city as a whole and localized areas within the city, and assist decision-makers in prioritization of responses
- Using evidence-based and multidisciplinary approaches to develop strategies and initiatives that respond to city-wide and localized social vulnerability challenges; these strategies include:
- In-depth understanding of needs and opportunities in Edmonton, such as needs assessments
- Investment plans for effective, targeted, and strategic use of City funds
- Advocacy strategies to optimize the City and communities’ ability to leverage funds and influence policies within provincial and federal jurisdiction
- Corporate plans to clarify and direct corporate efforts
- Community plans to clarify and assist in the coordination of community efforts
Our work covers a broad spectrum including increasing the supply of affordable housing, community development, community safety and wellness, addressing homelessness, funding and coordination of preventative social services, Indigenous relations, social identity and inclusion and non-profit development and support.
The Affordable Housing and Homelessness section leads coordinated action with partners to anticipate, recognize and respond to affordable housing and homelessness needs. Through our work, we improve the quality of life for individuals and families by:
- Increasing, maintaining and supporting safe, adequate and affordable housing in all areas of the city;
- Improving access to critical support services for those experiencing homelessness
As leaders of the affordable housing and homelessness files for the City, examples of our work include the Affordable Housing Investment Grant Program, Supportive Housing and Surplus School Sites development, and the Affordable Housing Tax Grant Program. To help meet the goal of the Affordable Housing Investment Plan, we provide limited grant funding and land contributions to our housing partners for the creation of shovel-ready projects capable of attracting additional support from other orders of government. The section also contributes to the collective community efforts to prevent and end homelessness, including activating extreme weather responses, supporting effective encampment response, delivering complementary homelessness prevention programs and services, and providing subsidies to partner agencies to provide critical homelessness services.
Housing Action Team
The Housing Action Team works across the corporation to:
- Incentivize development: Implement aggressive actions to scale up the delivery of housing, with a focus on multi-unit, transit-oriented and affordable housing
- Improve policy: Reduce barriers, increase efficiencies and attract future housing, including affordable housing, and development in Edmonton
- Foster housing innovation: Develop affordable housing that positions Edmonton as a leader in areas such as climate, equity, reconciliation, and economic development
The Housing Action Team undertakes project management for all Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) work under the oversight of the Deputy City Managers of Community Services, Urban Planning and Economy and the Chief Financial Officer. The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), launched by the CMHC on March 17, 2023, aims to fast-track the creation of new homes in response to Canada's housing crisis. This federal program provides funding to local governments to encourage transformative initiatives that will help increase housing supply and support the development of low-carbon, climate-resilient communities.
This Community Investment Section works to strengthen the not for profit and social services sector through building relationships, development and management of grants and funding programs, quality assurance, providing system navigation and capacity building. The team works collaboratively with internal and external partners to demonstrate impact and help improve the well being of Edmontonians.
The Community Investment Section achieves this work through the Community Funding Strategies and the Community Supports teams.
These teams are responsible for:
- A range of funding program development and management
- Quality assurance - monitoring, compliance, final reports
- Evaluating program impact and using data for issue identification
- Providing capacity-building support and navigation to not-for-profit organizations
- Building positive community and corporate relationships and supporting creation of networks and collaborations
- Enhancing preventive social services through the Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) program
- Leading in the development of funding and investment strategies for key strategic portfolios
- Supporting Council Advisory Boards assigned to Community Services
- Community Granting Programs that the team administers and/or support, including but not limited to:
- Community Investment Operating Grant (CIOG)
- Edmonton Immigrant & Refugee Community (EIRC) Grant
- Senior Centre Investment Program (SCIP)
- Community Safety & Well-being (CSWB) Grants
- Anti-racism Grant Program
- Operating Grant for Indigenous-led Organizations
- Community League Grants
- Revitalization and Neighbourhood Grants
- Building Safer Communities Grant
Indigenous Relations builds and supports good relations between the City, Indigenous Peoples, and organizations that serve Indigenous Peoples.
Edmonton is home to a dynamic, vibrant, and diverse Indigenous population. It is the home of the second largest urban Indigenous population in Canada and lies in the heart of Treaty No. 6 territory and the homelands of the Métis Nation. Within Edmonton, you will find many Indigenous communities, Indigenous-led organizations, services, and representatives including the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta, the Otipemsiwak Métis Government, formerly Métis Nation of Alberta, and the Métis Settlements General Council. Our city is known as a gateway to and from the North, and many Inuit and northern Indigenous Peoples also call Edmonton home. Edmonton is a hub for healthcare, education, employment and cultural activities, and welcomes Indigenous Peoples from across the country who come to Edmonton to achieve their aspirations.
The goal of the Indigenous Relations section is to honour the foundational relationship that Indigenous Peoples share with Canada, to help move the City of Edmonton forward in the journey of reconciliation, and to help address the challenges Indigenous Peoples disproportionately face in an urban setting.
The section works across the City Administration and community on collaborative projects that seek to build good relations, address the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, the 2SLGBTQQIA+ MMIWG Calls for Justice, and move towards reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
The Safe and Healthy Communities section works collaboratively with community partners to develop strategies and policies that foster resilient communities, and address complex social issues impacting the well-being of Edmontonians. The section supports communities to strengthen their capacity to be strong agents for safety and wellness, responding to concerns in an integrated, locally specific way.
The Section is composed of two teams that work closely together to carry out this mandate, the Community Safety Initiatives Team and the Policy & Planning Team.
- The Community Safety Initiatives Team works with residents, community, businesses, and organizations to build solutions to create safe and vibrant neighbourhoods and communities. The Team works in partnership with other organizations such as Alberta Health Services, the Edmonton Police Service, and various social agencies to coordinate responses to complex issues, aligned with the strategies and frameworks developed by the Policy and Planning team.
- The Policy & Planning Team is responsible for creating and implementing policies, strategies, action plans, and funding frameworks to address social well-being and safety. The Team carries out its mandate through two primary work areas, a Planning and Policy Team, and a Data, Research and Evaluation team.
Contact Us
311 Contact Centre
| Online | Contact 311 Online |
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If you are calling from outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311
| Telephone | 311 |
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| TTY | 711 |