His Worship, Mayor Andrew Knack

His Worship, Mayor Andrew Knack
Councillor Michael Janz, papastew
Renee Iverson, Director of Supportive Housing, George Spady Society
Kaytlyn Beakhouse, Founder, Sort and Simple
Carrie Hancharuk, Scattered Site Supports Manager, Bissell Centre
NiGiNan Housing Ventures
Congratulations to FIND Edmonton on your 15th Anniversary. FIND has been an invaluable partner to the George Spady Society, strengthening our ability to support individuals as they transition from homelessness into stable housing. Since the early days of FIND, their work has transformed what a housing placement can look like for the people we serve — ensuring that men and women moving into Intensive Case Management Housing programs are welcomed not by empty rooms, but by spaces furnished with dignity, comfort, and the essentials needed to begin again. FIND’s social enterprise model, developed through the vision of Homeward Trust, has allowed this support to be both sustainable and far-reaching, while also diverting furniture from landfills and engaging donors, volunteers, and community partners in meaningful ways.
For George Spady Society clients, the opportunity to choose furnishings that reflect their own identity has reinforced autonomy, pride, and a sense of home that is critical to housing stabilization. This partnership has helped make housing placements more successful and sustainable over the years, and as FIND celebrates its 15th anniversary, we extend our sincere gratitude for a collaboration that has profoundly enhanced our work and supported countless individuals in moving forward with hope, stability, and belonging.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We recognize we are gathered, in collaboration and with joint purpose, on Treaty 6 territory. This territory is the traditional home and gathering place for diverse Indigenous Peoples. The nêhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux/Ojibwe), Nakota Isga (Nakota Sioux), Inuit, and Métis, among many others cared for this land since time immemorial and continue to steward it today. As visitors in this territory, we honour the importance of the Treaty and our responsibility to these communities. Only in partnership can we create the changes necessary to end homelessness. It is vital we meaningfully engage and partner with Indigenous People and communities in this work while recognizing and addressing the conditions brought forth by colonialism. Displacement from traditional homelands, systemic racism, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing overrepresentation of Indigenous People in child welfare, correctional systems, and homelessness are responsibilities we all share.