Building Futures Through Safety and Education 

In Calgary and across Alberta, Safe Haven Foundation is helping unhoused and at-risk young women reclaim their futures through stable housing, trauma-informed care, and access to education. With support from the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Catapult Canada grant, Safe Haven is expanding its programs to help more young women break cycles of poverty, build confidence, and pursue learning in environments grounded in safety and dignity. 

Empowering Young Women Through Holistic Support 

Safe Haven’s programs, including Haven’s Way, Haven’s Harbour, and Haven’s Angels, provide shelter and a continuum of care that combines safe housing, education, mentorship, and life-skills development. Each participant receives individualized academic support to return to school, complete high school, or transition into post-secondary studies. Young women also access therapeutic services, violence prevention resources, and financial literacy training, all delivered through a trauma-informed approach that meets each person where they are on their journey. 

“We are deeply grateful to the Rideau Hall Foundation for investing in the potential of young girls and women who have faced immense barriers yet continue to rise. This funding will allow Safe Haven Foundation to strengthen the supports that help unhoused and at-risk young girls and women achieve educational success, personal stability, and long-term independence. This investment helps us continue building pathways out of crisis and toward self-sufficiency, ensuring every young girl and woman has the chance to believe in her future and the tools to make it real,” says the Safe Haven team. 

Confronting Barriers to Education and Stability 

Across Canada, unhoused and at-risk young women face overlapping barriers – trauma, disrupted education, poverty, and systemic discrimination. This makes it difficult to build secure, independent lives. In Calgary, youth represent 19 percent of the homeless population, and 53 percent of homeless youth drop out of school, compared to just nine percent nationally. Young women aged 15–24 face the highest unemployment of any age or gender group, while Indigenous girls and newcomer youth remain disproportionately affected by violence and housing insecurity. 

Safe Haven’s work responds to these realities. By integrating safety, education, and emotional healing, the organization helps young women develop the tools and confidence to thrive. Every additional year of education increases a woman’s earning potential by up to 20 percent, showing access to learning is not only life-changing but life-sustaining. 

Strengthening Educational Pathways with Support from the Rideau Hall Foundation 

Support from the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Catapult Canada initiative is helping Safe Haven deepen its educational and wellness programming and expand its reach to more youth across Alberta. Catapult funding supports tailored education plans, tutoring, and culturally grounded mentorship, while also strengthening the wraparound services that foster long-term success. 

Beyond funding, Catapult connects Safe Haven to a national network of youth-serving organizations working to remove barriers to learning and opportunity. By investing in Safe Haven Foundation, the Rideau Hall Foundation is helping ensure that young women facing the toughest circumstances have the safety, support, and education they need to build brighter futures.