Family & community navigation
Family & community navigation in Calgary and across Alberta
We help families see the whole pathway around them, across health, school, housing, income, benefits, respite, caregiving and community life.
The whole-family systems framework
Disability rarely affects only one part of a person’s life
A family may be dealing with several of these at once. So we look beyond the immediate question.
For example
A parent may first ask about the Disability Tax Credit. During navigation it may become clear that the family also needs respite information, FSCD support, school advocacy or a mental-health referral.
The goal is not to provide every service ourselves. The goal is to make sure you understand the larger pathway around you.
- Health
- Mental health
- School
- Housing
- Income
- Benefits
- Respite
- Caregiving
- Employment
- Community participation
What family & community navigation looks like
Connecting families with the right services
We connect families with appropriate community, disability, health and family services, and help you follow through.
- Understanding which community, disability, health and family services may fit your situation
- Connecting you to services with a closed-loop referral, not just a phone number
- Help for newcomer families with unfamiliar government systems, in plain language
- Support in English, Krio, Farsi/Persian, Spanish, Nepali and Russian, with intermediate Ukrainian where appropriate
When needs pile up
Complex needs take more than information
Some families face several barriers at the same time. Our complex-needs approach:
- Stabilize the immediate navigation problem
- Identify interacting barriers
- Prioritize what needs to happen first
- Coordinate referrals
- Support follow-through
- Reassess the pathway
Situations like
- Disability + homelessness + mental health + low income
- Child disability + caregiver burnout + school difficulties + financial barriers
- Newcomer family + language barriers + disability + unfamiliar government systems
Tell us what is happening. We will help you understand the pathway.
You do not need to know which program or service you need before contacting us. Tell us what is happening, and we will help you understand the next step.
Prefer to talk? Call (403) 714-0739 or email info@biofeedbackfoundation.com.