Edmonton Conference Centre Makes Homeless Connect 2018 Come Together

It takes several months of planning, hundreds of volunteers, several dozen service agencies, stakeholders and individuals to put together the bi-annual Homeless Connect event 2018. However, the day would happen without the contributions from the staff and resources of The Edmonton Convention Centre (ECC, formerly known as the Shaw Conference Centre (SCC).

The ECC has been involved in the community-wide event since the first event in 2008. Once in the spring and again in the fall, the Edmonton Conference Centre becomes a beehive of activity where service partners, agencies and hundreds of volunteers connect essential services with those in need.

Richard Wong, General Manager of the Edmonton Conference Centre, says, “Homeless Connect is an important event to the [Edmonton] Conference Centre, and we’re pleased to see the growing impact it has on our community each year as we continue to embrace social and cultural sustainability. It’s gratifying to see our city come together, and the [Edmonton] Conference Centre is committed to enhancing the quality of life for Edmontonians.”

Not only does the ECC provide the facility, but they also offer event management knowledge, staff who volunteer with their families, and a welcoming environment that helps foster connections between guests and the hundreds of volunteers and service agencies on site.

“Our team is honoured to work in collaboration with Homeward Trust to serve those in need. As a community hub, we are eager to lend out event space and expertise, along with food donations and food preparation services. We deliver exceptional experiences for the community in everything we do.” Wong adds.

We here at Homeward Trust are so grateful and appreciative that lead organizations such as the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) and the Edmonton Conference Centre have been on board since the beginning. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

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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.