About Us
It takes a community to build community
At the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre Society (the DI), we are dedicated to serving our community.
Our mission, “working with community to end homelessness, one person at a time,” goes beyond providing immediate support; we strive to create an environment where individuals can regain their confidence and rebuild their lives.
Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that everyone who walks through our doors feels welcomed, respected, and valued. What sets us apart is our holistic, housing-focused approach to support our community. We offer not only emergency shelter accommodation and meals but also access to essential resources such as health and recovery services, and housing supports.
We work with diverse vulnerable populations who may be un-housed or at risk of losing housing. Many have a history of significant trauma; some may also be facing substance use disorders and/or mental or physical health challenges. Our programs are low-barrier, trauma-informed, housing-focused, and recovery-oriented, aimed at supporting Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens. Our doors are always open.
We own and operate three affordable and deeply affordable housing buildings, ensuring individuals have a safe and supportive place to call home. Our Donation Centre serves as a vital hub for community support, where generous contributions from individuals and organizations come together to make a meaningful impact on vulnerable Calgarians. Its primary function is to collect, sort and distribute essential items and resources to those in need, ensuring people have access to items they need to make a house a home.
Together with our many partners, we are committed to fostering hope and providing pathways to a better future for all our community members. It’s about ending homelessness – one person at a time.
Our Vision
A community where everyone can find their home.
Our Mission
Working with community to end homelessness, one person at a time.
Our Values
Kindness: We accept each person’s uniqueness with compassion and empathy.
Respect: Our actions honour the rights, differences, and dignity of others.
Wellness: We promote, provide and support holistic well-being.
Accountability: We operate with transparency and integrity in both our relationships and our commitments.
Community: Through collaborative partnerships, we work together as a team, building inclusive communities.
Our History
Long known as the “largest shelter in North America,” the DI began its transformation to being a housing-focused emergency shelter in 2017-18. Rather than creating a long-term “home” for people in shelter, the agency invested in new programs and trained housing specialists to help people exit homelessness and find their way home.
By thinking of shelter as a temporary point in time and by working one-on-one with people to address their unique barriers to housing, we have become devoted to ending homelessness.
Since, we have continued to adopt a focus on housing to all of our programs and services and have become a national leader within the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network.
Join Our Team
The DI is a values-based organization and a Living Wage Employer. DI staff are known for their kindness and tenacity and they invest their time with us because they’re passionate about making a difference and working to help people exit homelessness. With over 300 employees, we aim to be an Employer of Choice.
Take a Virtual Tour
The privacy and dignity of those we serve is very important to us. That’s why we’ve set up this virtual tour of our 6-story main housing-focused shelter building. On this tour, you’ll see our kitchen, cafeteria, sleeping quarters, and other spaces. Keep in mind that this tour was created pre-2020 and much has changed since.
Free Goods Program
The Calgary Drop-In Centre also owns and operates Calgary’s Free Goods Program, which provides low and no-income Calgarians with the essential items they need to make a house a home – at zero cost. It is because of generous Calgarians who donate their household goods that we are able to provide free furniture, kitchenware, computers, mobile phones, small appliances, books, and more.
The Free Goods Program is by appointment only and based on eligibility.