We recognize that poverty persists as a barrier to the realization of our vision that "every person has a sustainable livelihood and is able to contribute to their community". For this reason we align with and advance the work of Enough for All, and have committed to a new five-year strategy with the core tenet "Income First, Gains that Last".

This strategic direction is rooted in the Sustainable Livelihoods approach that drives us to work with both individuals and systems. Momentum’s three priorities in this strategy are, 1) People and families, 2) Influencing systems, and 3) Equity and reconciliation.

These priorities build on progress we’ve made and assets we’ve developed over the course of our 30+ years in the field as well as complementing the strengths of other organizations committed to Calgary’s Enough for All strategy. “Income First, Gains that Last” focuses on work that leads to meaningful income gains with programs for individuals as a primary focus.

We seek to ramp up barrier-breaking partnerships with businesses and increase income-related policy changes, with a goal to increase sustainable livelihoods for people struggling to get by and ready to make change.

Momentum also stewards Be Local, Calgary’s only local business network focused on social impact, and coordinates the Aspire Calgary Financial Empowerment Collaborative, a collaborative of 30 organizations working together to improve the financial well-being of Calgarians living with lower incomes.

We know poverty isn’t only about money, but it is always about money. Few poverty reduction strategies are as powerful for a household as a meaningful increase in predictable income. Other proven levers such as financial empowerment are even more successful when combined with supports to boost income. This is why, though our programs employ a holistic approach to asset building, we are measuring success primarily through economic lenses.

Thank you to the over 160 community members who contributed their perspective to the development of Momentum’s Income First strategy. Thank you to Momentum’s financial partners for trusting us to transform their resources into meaningful impact; to our staff members, volunteers and community partners who bring our mission to life through grit, compassion, and imagination; and most of all thank you to the program participants who are working to transform their current reality into a sustainable livelihood for themselves and for their communities.

Read our full Income First Strategy.