Homeless Connect Devoted to Edmonton’s Homeless

Homelessness across Canada has become too large to ignore. According to “The State of Homelessness in Canada,” more than 235,000 Canadians face homelessness every year. In Edmonton, we have a long history of working shoulder-to-shoulder to address the issue locally, as we know no one organization or program can address the problem alone.

In this spirit, we continue to come together as a community twice a year for Homeless Connect. This year’s spring Connect event will take place on April 29, 2018, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at Edmonton Convention Centre (ECC), formerly Shaw Conference Center (SCC). Our goal in this event is to connect our guests with a wide range of personalized services to help them pave a path out of homelessness.

The services provided address many essential needs of our guests like health care, legal advice, tax services, and help to access housing resources. But Homeless Connect is also about providing relief, compassion, and dignity; guests can get a haircut, photo, or foot care on-site. In addition, a kids’ zone will be set up with games, storytelling, and colouring books to allow the parents to take advantage of what the event has to offer.

Homeless Connect is more than just a day. This event is about community and making lasting connections. It’s a great opportunity to rally around one another and offer our time, expertise, and helping hands to our fellow neighbours.

To those who will be volunteering, we offer our heartfelt thanks. But there are other ways to support Homeless Connect as well.

Your donations make a huge difference, especially items that are in high demand, such as feminine hygiene products, diapers, large-sized clothing, men’s clothing, and work boots. All donations can be dropped off at the Bissell Thrift Store.

Please help us make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable Edmontonian neighbours by spreading the word and donating. If you would like to be a sponsor and offer financial assistance, please contact Janine at JTremblay@homewardtrust.ca.

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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.