Our Programs

Almees runs free, community-led programs for trans and gender diverse refugee and migrant newcomers in Calgary and across Alberta. All support is confidential. All navigators and peer staff have lived experience as trans newcomers in Canada.

Trans Health System
Navigation Pilot

Live now in Calgary

Health navigation. By people who have been through it. The THSNP connects trans and gender diverse newcomers in Calgary with Community Health Navigators for free, confidential, one-on-one support navigating the Canadian healthcare system.

What your navigator will do

  • Help you find a family doctor or primary care provider
  • Support you in accessing gender-affirming hormone therapy
  • Get referrals to the Adult Gender Clinic or other specialists
  • Help you understand your Alberta Health coverage
  • Accompany you to appointmentsin person or virtually if you need support
  • Follow up to make sure referrals went through

What navigators do not do

Navigators are not doctors, lawyers, or counsellors. They are knowledgeable guides with lived experience, they provide information, referrals, and accompaniment. Not clinical care.

Who it is for

Trans and gender diverse newcomers in Calgary, including permanent residents, convention refugees, refugee claimants, and temporary residents. Immigration status is never a barrier.

Trans Newcomer
Psychosocial Support Pilot

Launching July 2026

Peer support. Mentorship. Community. Alberta-wide. The TPSP offers structured peer support, one-on-one mentorship, mental health navigation, and community events for trans and gender-diverse refugee and migrant newcomers across Alberta. Built for the part of health that a referral cannot reach.

Five streams

  • Peer support groups - biweekly facilitated groups in Calgary (in-person) and across Alberta (virtual)
  • One-on-one mentorship - matched with a trans newcomer who has been in Canada longer
  • Mental health navigation - connected to trans-competent, culturally responsive services
  • Community events - monthly in Calgary, quarterly virtually province-wide
  • Crisis referral pathway - structured response for participants in acute distress

Who it is for

Trans and gender diverse refugee and migrant newcomers across Alberta. Free. In-person in Calgary, virtual across the province. No immigration status barrier.

Evidence

Every barrier participants encounter is documented. In December 2026, we will publish the Alberta Trans Newcomer Health Barriers Report, the first systematic documentation of its kind in Alberta.

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Peer support groups

Biweekly facilitated groups in Calgary (in-person) and across Alberta (virtual)

Community
🧡
One-on-one mentorship

Matched with a trans newcomer who has been in Canada longer

Mentorship
📞
Mental health navigation

Connected to trans-competent, culturally responsive mental health services

Wellbeing
📅
Community events

Monthly in Calgary, quarterly virtual events across Alberta

Connection
⚡
Crisis referral pathway

Structured response for participants in acute distress

Safety
For Providers and Settlement Workers

Want to refer a client?

Almees accepts warm referrals from family doctors, walk-in clinics, the Adult Gender Clinic, settlement agencies, and community organizations. You contact us, we follow up, and we take it from there.

Make a ReferralAsk a Question