Mission & History

Our Story

CMHA Calgary has always been shaped by the community it serves.

For decades, we’ve been part of a broader movement to advance mental health in Canada. But our work here in Calgary has never been static. It has evolved alongside the people, systems, and realities of this city.

What started as a focus on awareness and advocacy has grown into a community-based model of care that meets people where they are, supports recovery in real ways, and responds to the complexity of modern mental health needs.

A History of Adapting to What Matters Most

Over the years, Calgary has changed. And so have the challenges people face.

Rising costs of living, housing instability, increasing demand for mental health support, and gaps in access have all reshaped what community care needs to look like.

CMHA Calgary has adapted in response.

We’ve expanded beyond traditional approaches, building services that address not just mental health in isolation, but the conditions that shape it. That includes housing, connection, education, and access to care.

This evolution hasn’t been about doing more for the sake of it. It’s been about doing what matters, based on what people actually need.

From Awareness to Action

Mental health is not just about crisis response or clinical care. It’s about prevention, connection, and creating the conditions for people to live well.

That’s why our work today is grounded in a continuum of support:

• Live – meeting basic needs and creating stability
• Learn – building skills, knowledge, and connection
• Thrive – supporting recovery, growth, and wellbeing

This approach reflects what we’ve learned over time: people don’t experience mental health in silos, and neither should support.

Values That Guide Our Work

Our work is grounded in a set of values that shape how we show up, how we build relationships, and how we deliver care.

• Hope – believing in the possibility of recovery and growth
• Belonging – creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and included
• Connection – strengthening relationships that support wellbeing
• Kindness – leading with compassion, empathy, and respect
• Resilience – supporting people and communities to adapt, recover, and move forward

These values are not just principles we talk about. They are the experience we aim to create in every interaction, program, and partnership.

Where We Are Today

In recent years, CMHA Calgary has navigated significant change. Shifts in funding, growing demand, and evolving systems have required us to rethink how we work and how we show up for the community.

Through that, one thing has stayed constant: our commitment to community mental health care that is accessible, responsive, and grounded in real experience.

Today, we are focused on reducing barriers to care, strengthening partnerships, and creating more connected pathways so people can get the right support, at the right time.

What Comes Next

Our current chapter is defined by Renewal.

Not a reset, but a deliberate step forward.

It’s about strengthening what works, rethinking what doesn’t, and building a system of care that is more connected, more inclusive, and better equipped for the future.

At the centre of that work is a clear vision:

A thriving Calgary and area community where mental wellness is everyone’s foundation.

That’s what continues to guide us.

And that’s where we’re going.