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  Every year, Homeward Trust funds up to 5 community research projects. During Housing Month,  we are releasing one a week, starting with: Youth Bans: Policy, Implementation, and the Perspective of Youth and Stakeholders By The Old Strathcona Community Mapping and Planning Committee This 2015-2017 community-based participatory research study responds to a need identified by service providers to investigate the banning of youth who are homeless or without secure and adequate housing.   Funded by the Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy through Homeward Trust Edmonton’s Community Research Projects funding.

November 7, 2017 Edmonton joins the global campaign to end street homelessness by 2030 Edmonton – Homelessness is a global challenge, with an estimated 100 million people worldwide living without shelter. The Institute of Global Homelessness at DePaul University is launching a campaign to help 150 cities work toward ending street homelessness by 2030. The campaign, A Place to Call Home, will begin with 10 vanguard cities across six continents. Each city will commit to achieving significant progress towards that goal by the end of 2020. Edmonton is one of those vanguard communities and together, the community has committed that…

November is Housing Month in Edmonton, an annual campaign that raises awareness of the need for affordable housing throughout our community. Since our last Community Update in November 2016, there has been a lot of work and much progress. With the release of A Place to Call Home: Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in July 2017, we committed to bold targets, as well as regular updates to community on our progress and impact. Please join us on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 as we celebrate successes, share local data, and profile new initiatives. Our partner organizations will be presenting…

The start-up cost for anyone moving into their first home is expensive.  It can be a barrier for someone securing sustainable housing. You may already know that Find provides essential furnishings free of charge to people moving out of homelessness through the Housing First program. Find also collaborates with local agencies to support their housing efforts. The Furniture Program, a service offered by Edmonton John Howard Society’s Family Violence Prevention Centre is one such partnership. Natasha is the Community Liaison Worker with that program. She shares the experience of her client “Mary” at Find: “I picked up Mary and her three-year…

Last week the LGBTQ2S Youth Housing and Shelter Guidelines were released. Our Manager of Clinical Services and Program Supports, Renee Iverson, was the co-chair of the working group that brought these Guidelines to fruition. These Guidelines provide a sustainable framework and the tools for those engaged with LGBTQ2S youth that do not dismiss or camouflage the excellent work that is already being done in Alberta.  Instead, they provide an opportunity to reflect on current practice and make changes where applicable and needed. Renee shared at the launch why this work is so important: “What is Pride?  For this lesbian, it…

Cultural supports and reconciliation are a pillar of our work. Some of our recent experiences have included facilitating pipe ceremonies and smudges for Housing First partner landlords and their buildings, with a very positive response. So far, there have been eight buildings that have begun participating in this cleansing process. Ken Armstrong, Homeward Trust’s Oskapewis/Indigenous Cultural & Educational Helper, facilitated the ceremony with an elder after receiving a request from a tenant and coordinating with the building’s landlord. “It’s not one and done,” mentions Ken. “Following the request, we talk with the landlord about the requested ceremony, its purpose, and…

The Advisory Committee on Homelessness is asking for input from Canadians on the redesign of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS). Through an online engagement process, the Committee is inviting people across the country to share their ideas and input into how to prevent and reduce homelessness. Through the HPS, the Government of Canada provides funding and support to communities to develop solutions to end homelessness locally. The 2017 Budget announced increased funding for affordable housing and expanded funding for the HPS. Feedback gathered from the engagement process will be considered by the Advisory Committee on Homelessness and options for the redesign…

Today, all levels of government, community, and business leaders gathered to celebrate the 2017 Recognizing Outstanding Organizations and People in Housing (ROOPH) Awards. “I am so proud of our community’s accomplishments since these awards were created 12 years ago,” says Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust. “The ROOPH Awards give us all a chance to come together and recognize our sector’s achievements and milestones; our dedicated people who strive for excellence whether working on the frontline or working in policy.”  Larry Shaben Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Housing Sector: Larry Shaben was a respected Alberta cabinet minister who provided…