INTRODUCTION
Grande Prairie enjoys a robust economy, with a youthful demographic. As the largest city in northwestern Alberta, the City services a trading area of over 250,000 people spanning northwestern Alberta, northeastern British
Columbia and the Northwest Territories. It is the center of a diversified regional economy responding to the forestry, agricultural, and oil and gas industries. As a regional service hub, city-based companies provide service
to oil and natural gas activities to the City’s trading area. In an economy dependent on oil, gas, and forestry, economic cycles of boom and bust are more pronounced in respect to employment and earnings, rental vacancy
rates and availability of affordable housing. It is the aim of the City of Grande Prairie’s Community Advisory Board on Homelessness (CABH) to utilize the unique nature of Grande Prairie’s economy and its community
resources, to end homelessness by 2019. The City of Grande Prairie is part of a broader 7 Cities Network made up of seven major cities across the province of Alberta who have made a commitment to support the Provincial Plan to End Homelessness. As part of the commitment to end
homelessness—both province-wide and in our cities—a plan unique for each region has been developed. In 2009, the City created its first Multi-Year
Plan to End Homelessness (2009-2014), setting 5 broad goals and preparing the stage for enhanced collaboration and integration of programs and services at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.1 A strong foundation has been laid to achieve the end goal of ending homelessness in our City and to support the provincial goal of Alberta-wide success.