Calgary’s Discovery House reopens flood-damaged family support apartments

Discovery House is reopening following a year's worth of renovations to repair flood damage. The home is now welcoming six families fleeing domestic violence.

After two devastating floods destroyed some of its apartments last year, a Calgary emergency shelter is once again welcoming families fleeing domestic violence.

Discovery House, which provides support to local women and children, says swings in temperature caused pipes to burst early last year.

The burst pipes led to intense flooding, impacting 13 apartments and multiple common spaces in Discovery House’s second-stage shelter.

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On Tuesday, those spaces reopened — better than ever.

“Over the course of the last year, we’ve been restoring and repairing the shelter, our meeting spaces, our offices and our cultural room,” Discovery House executive director Leslie Hill said. “We also used this as an opportunity to refresh some of the spaces that were affected by the flood.”

Out of the 19 individual and furnished apartments inside the shelter, 13 were damaged by the 2025 flood.

After a year-long renovation, Discovery House is welcoming in six families this week.

“The spaces that were flooded are three- and four-bedroom spaces – and those are in short supply in Calgary,” Hill told CTV News.

“It’s a return to normal, but it’s also an upgraded return to normal where people can feel a sense of dignity and hope and have an opportunity to heal from trauma.”

Hill points to a growing demand in the city for long-term spaces.

“We’re really excited to bring these suites back online, because we know the need is great in Calgary and we have families ready to go to fill the spaces.”

To learn more about the work being done at the shelter, visit the Discovery House website.