Save the Old Y: A Historic Home for Community Care
For over a century, the Old Y has supported those building a better Calgary. Now, this vital space is at risk — and we need your voice to protect it.
Update: Success at City Hall!
GOOD NEWS! We got the city to allocate $1 million towards to Old Y’s preservation and restoration in the 2026 municipal budget!
How did we do it?
30+ Community members participated in the 2026 budget adjustment meetings, where we made public submissions to Calgary city council, mayor, and administration advocating for funding for The Old Y! People spoke about how the centralized services and community gathering space The Old Y provided impacted their lives. This helped the new council and mayor understand the importance of The Old Y.
What does this mean for the future of The Old Y? Is it saved?
Saving The Old Y will be a long journey, and the future of The Old Y is still uncertain. While $1 million is a drop in the bucket for both the municipal budget, and for the restoration work the building needs, this success has both material and symbolic importance!
So far, the city is saying they intend to use to $1mil towards building security during its vacancy, and consultation on what work needs to be done — which is alright…. but we at the Save The Old Y Coalition and The Arusha Centre are committed to maintaining a relationship with the city where we will work to make sure the money is used responsibly, and actually provides material benefit to the building. Let’s get some long overdue maintenance work done!
It begs repeating that this is a city-owned building. This funding for the building shows that they heard how important the physical and functional integrity is to Calgarians. This funding is also a symbolic gesture that demonstrates the city’s commitment to supporting the community work that underpins this entire cause.
About the Old Y:
A Century of Community Service
Built in 1911 as the cities first purpose-built social service facility, the Old Y began as a YWCA hostel supporting single women new to the city. It provided essential services like housing, language classes, and immigrant support—creating space for women at a time when few resources were available to them.
After the YWCA moved out in 1971, the City of Calgary took ownership, and the building quickly became home to a diverse range of grassroots and non-profit organizations.
For over 50 years, the Old Y has remained a vital hub for community care and collective action.
A non-exhaustive list of the orgs. groups, and initiatives the Old Y recently supported:
| 1919 |
| Ab Womens science network |
| Aboriginal Friendship Centre |
| ACORN |
| Afro Care Support Network |
| Alberta Media Arts Alliance |
| Bike Calgary |
| Black Pride YYC |
| Calgary Climate Hub |
| Calgary Narrative Collective |
| Canada Bridges – Social Development |
| Chew Projects YYC |
| Cinematheque |
| End of the Rainbow |
| Eritrean Canadian Cultural and Civic Centre |
| Eritrean-Canadian Blin Society |
| Freedom’s Path Recovery Society |
| Hakili Community Development Association |
| Independent Jewish Voices Calgary |
| Lavender Club YYC |
| Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Society |
| One Voice Chorus |
| Outlink |
| Quakers Religous Society of Friends |
| Rainbow Elders Calgary |
| Rang De Pride |
| Seeds Connection |
| Target Humanitarian |
| The Arusha Centre |
| Threads that Thrive |
| United Africa Diaspora |
| VCAC |
| We’re together ending poverty |
| Western Muslim Initiative |
| Writers Guild Alberta |
| Yardcore seeds of life |
What can be done?
We’re calling on the City of Calgary to recognize the Old Y not as a liability, but as a long-standing public good — and to invest in its future.
100+ non-profit and grassroot community-service organizations had to leave their home at the Old Y at the end of September.
This city-owned building was space that has housed numerous community-serving organizations for over 50 years. Without a commitment from the city to maintain its architectural and function integrity we fear for not only the buildings future, but for the ripple effects this will have on Calgary.
