Mock election: You DO matter

On Monday, September 21st, we saw an incredible thing. We watched 500 people line up to vote.

And it wasn’t even a real election.

It was a fake.

A mock election.

And those who lined up?

They live on the streets.

They have no home.

So we organized a mock election to help them get their voices heard.

These are often people whose voices we ignore. They speak to us on the street and we pass by them, barely acknowledging that they’ve spoken.

If almost everyone you spoke to in a day ignored you, why would you think that your voice counted enough to vote?

What would motivate you to search out the information required to make an informed decision if every time you work up the courage to speak you were rewarded with silence?

And if you don’t have a fixed address?

What then?

You have no home and therefore no way to register to vote. What riding do you belong to if you live nowhere?

So the Client Action Committee (CAC) of the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) organized a mock election. Ten members of the CAC, all with lived experience of homelessness themselves came up with a way to remove barriers to voting that this community faces.

They built it.

And 500 people came.

Designed to simulate the exact process of voting in an election, the mock election was held in four shelters around the city. The Alex, Alpha House, YWCA Mary Dover House and the Calgary Drop In & Rehab Centre each hosted a mock polling station for voting participants.

Designed to mimic a polling station, the mock election gave those who attended an overview of what is required to successfully vote as well as a simulation of the process itself. Resources with information around what constitutes a valid piece of identification, how many pieces are required and how to register to vote were all provided.

As for a registered address?

The Drop In Centre provided letters of stay; these letters act as one piece of valid identification and also serve as proof of address for each client to be able to register to vote in the Calgary Centre riding.

People lined up before the set up was even complete.

As reproducing a ballot with candidates prior to an election is illegal, clients instead voted on issues that they deemed most important to them in this federal election. The issues were: affordable housing, mental health, minimum income and harm reduction. They were also given the option to choose “other” and add an issue.

Information on party platforms was provided by the Drop In Centre as candidates will be visiting independently prior to the election. Elections Canada was present at the Drop In Centre to register clients to vote between 4pm-6pm.

And to what end? This project began with a desire to spark conversation, to give a voice to the voiceless, to back our words “You DO matter” with action.

And now?

Elections Canada is placing a polling station in the Drop In Centre on October 19th to give access to those who use its services.

This is the first time in Canada that a polling station has been placed in a shelter for a Federal Election.

Overall 472 clients participated with 60% of them selecting affordable housing as the issue they deemed most important to them in this upcoming federal election.

Great Minds

Great minds think alike… But if we all thought alike there would be no change.

On Tuesday, September 22, over 65 board chairs and CEO’s in the participated in a CEO/Chair Connectivity Breakfast hosted by the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) and The Mustard Seed. Rene Collins of the Metis Calgary Family Services graciously opened the event with a blessing,

The main topic of discussion related to Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness and Calgary’s Homeless Serving System of Care. Attendees brought their innovative ideas, suggestions and potential opportunities to the table.

Diana Krecsy, President and CEO of CHF, spoke about the various Plans as well as the true meaning of ‘Ending Homelessness’. She also discussed the similarities between social service agencies and the value of an integrated Homeless Serving System of Care.

Stephen Wile, CEO of The Mustard Seed, added additional value to the presentation by talking about the System of Care in connection to The Mustard Seed.

The Breakfast showcased great minds coming together to work towards a common goal – ending homelessness. It’s no doubt that there is power to create change in a group like this one. After much thoughtful discussion, the attendees agreed that it was clear that communication and collaboration were the key elements to be developed to continue the success of the Plan.

As a result of the event, is safe to say that we are all on the same page, but there is still room to grow. We can all work together on improving the effectiveness of the Plan to reach our end goal. The Connectivity Breakfast was the first time this many great leaders in the sector came together, and there are plans to host more in the future.

For those that attended the Connectivity Breakfast, please note that a report of the discussions will be sent out at the end of October.

 

 

Mock Election on September 21, 2015

On October 19, Canada will hold a federal election.

In the homeless sector, voting in an election is not a common practice.

This year, members of the CHF Client Advisory Committee, want to change that. They are planning a ‘mock election’ to take place on Monday, September 21st complete with ballot boxes, screening officers and candidates vying for the votes of those who do not believe their vote counts.

It is the challenge of homelessness.

Another challenge of homelessness and voting… Voting requires identification. Many people living the experience of homelessness do not have that which the majority of us take for granted; a piece of paper that legally confirms we are who we say we are in the world.

At the mock election, there will be people who can support those without identification obtain it.

A group of individuals with lived experience of homelessness are holding this mock election in 4 shelters around the city to encourage those with the lived experience of homelessness to exercise their right to vote. For more information, click HERE.

It is an important thing they are doing, this group of concerned citizens.

They are building the path, walking their talk, creating space for their voice to be heard. And in that space, they will hold space for others to rise up and cast their vote too.

Hannah’s Letter: A true act of kindness

On August 25th, the Calgary Homeless Foundation received a gift from a little girl far beyond her years. She sent us letter, painstakingly crafted in the way of children, with a donation and a touching explanation as to why she chose us.

Having travelled here from Florida to visit our city and the Calgary Stampede with her parents, Hannah described Calgary as a “wonderful place” with the exception of one thing. She was brokenhearted to see all those experiencing homelessness all alone in the streets. “I was so ashamed that I couldn’t help them that I put my head down when I walked by and sometimes I held back tears,” she wrote to us in her letter.

From the sunshine state, Hannah wanted to help bring the warmth of Florida to those living on the streets and has generously donated $101 dollars to the Calgary Homeless Foundation, virtually emptying her piggy bank in hopes of making a difference.

Why $101 you ask?  “The odd sticks out,” Hannah explains in her letter, “the odd people of the world make the difference.”

How true.

Hannah describes herself as a Floridian that likes to bring the warmth of God to the world. Regardless of what drives this little girl’s generosity, we thank her.

We thank her for electing to make a difference and for moving past her feeling of helplessness to simply do what she could.

Thank you Hannah for seeing those individuals that so many see through.

We’ve all been there. At one point or another, we’ve all averted our eyes and walked past those living on the streets, telling ourselves that it’s not our fault. That there’s nothing we can do to help, nothing we could offer. Or we judge, thinking that we cannot help those who “won’t” help themselves.

But young Hannah has proved otherwise.

For one so young to acknowledge her own sense of shame in being unable to help those living on the streets is incredible. To then take action is remarkable. We could all learn a lesson from Hannah about moving past our own judgements to simply feel compassion. We could all learn that every small act of kindness makes a difference. There are no rules or quotas on how to lend a hand. Simply that we do.

If you are like Hannah and looking for ways that you too can make a difference, please contact Sharon deBoer, Director of Development at sharon@calgaryhomeless.com. To view the last two pages of Hannah’s letter, click here: Page 3  Page 4

 

The Power of Home: Letter from a tenant

Recently, a hand written, anonymous letter arrived in the CHF mailbox. Addressed to the Calgary Homeless Foundation c/o Diana Krescy, the writer shares their experiences of having experienced homelessness for many years of their life and what it means to now have a home and a CHF owned apartment building with supports from a partner agency.

The writer speaks of their hopelessness in homelessness. They speak of being judged, persecuted, condemned and they write about being at home. “I still no sleep in a bed yet,” they write. “But do sleep now finally.”

It is a moving and powerful letter about survival, and most importantly, the power of HOME.

Thank you anonymous writer for reminding all of us of the importance of ending homelessness so that everyone can find themselves at home.

#HomelessVotes

On October 19, Canada will hold a federal election. 

In the homeless sector, voting in an election is not a common practice. 

This year, members of the CHF Client Advisory Council, want to change that. They are planning a ‘mock election’ in late September complete with ballot boxes, screening officers and candidates vying for the votes of those who do not believe their vote counts.

It is the challenge of homelessness.

Another challenge of homelessness and voting… Voting requires identification. Many people living the experience of homelessness do not have that which the majority of us take for granted; a piece of paper that legally confirms we are who we say we are in the world.

At the mock election, there will be people who can support those without identification obtain it. 

 

Other than applying for a passport, few of us have ever been faced with the task of getting something so seemingly simple – proof that while living with no fixed address, or an emergency shelter as place of residence, we are who we say we are.

At the shelter where I worked there is a room filled with belongings clients have left behind. When giving tours of the facility, people would ask, “Why do people leave these things behind? Don’t they want them? Don’t they care?”

It is not so simple. 

Sometimes, someone won’t return to their locker because in the process of going about their daily life, they have been arrested for outstanding warrants. With no ability to pay for jay walking tickets, vagrancy tickets, and a host of other tickets a homeless individual can acquire in daily life, they opt for jail. They have no choice.

Sometimes, they wind up in hospital, too  sick to let anyone know where they are.

Sometimes, a job offer comes up and they grab it, even if it means leaving right now to travel to the oil fields or some other distant place. They do not dare hesitate. Jobs don’t come along often in the world of homelessness.

Sometimes, the burden of the past is too great to keep carrying, and they leave it behind.

Sometimes, in constantly leaving things behind, the things they carried are simply that – things.

There are many, many reasons people leave things behind. Things like clothing. Family photo albums. Bibles and and other books. Certificates, like the certificate of merit from a Scout troupe one person left in their locker. Staff could not throw it out, just as they could not discard or repurpose things like Bibles and family photos and other personal items. For staff, clearing out an abandoned locker was one of the most difficult tasks. The choice to keep it, just in case the person returned, or let it go, was not easy. 

Homelessness fosters a sense of disconnection. Of not being part of ‘your life’ because the fact that this, this place called homeless could be ‘your life’ is hard to grasp. Hard to understand. Hard to believe.

In the disbelief, in the tiredness of having to keep jettisoning the things that once made up your life which you can no longer carry, or bring into a shelter because there is no room for all your stuff, only one suitcase that will fit into a small locker, you let go of holding onto everything.

It’s easier that way.

Just let it go and don’t hold on, to anything.

Especially the belief, you can make a difference.

It’s too hard to hold, that belief. Because if I can make a difference, if for example, my vote might count, then why am I in this place called homeless?

A group of individuals with lived experience of homelessness are holding a mock election in September to encourage those with the lived experience of homelessness to exercise their right to vote. 

It is an important thing they are doing, this group of concerned citizens. 

They are building the path, walking their talk, creating space for their voice to be heard. And in that space, they will hold space for others to rise up and cast their vote too.

They cannot predict the outcome. But they do know,  if they do not walk this path. If they do not take these steps, the way will not magically appear. It must be created with each step.

There are lessons to be learned from these individuals who are walking this path. They are creating a new direction with every step they take.

Cleaning our air, one orchard at a time

On Sunday, August 9th, two Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) properties received 55 orchard trees. With the help of REAP and Enactus Calgary volunteers, nine local businesses, tenants and agencies, like CUPS and the Alex, Acadia Place and Abbeydale Place were successfully beautified and transformed into sustainable orchards, with the possibilities of fresh fruit in the summers to come.

Marina Mellino of the Calgary Homeless Foundation was there to plant trees with REAP Calgary and tenants. “I was so proud to participate, “she shares of her experience on Sunday, “there was lots of passion and care for community in this project and I can’t wait for next year’s planting!”

REAP, the non-profit organization responsible for Sunday’s planting, helps locally owned business that care about the community and the planet contribute to creating healthy and prosperous communities. With the help of the Naaco Truck, Leela Eco Spa & Studio, Conscious Brands, Nya Sustainability Consulting, Neal’s Yard Remedies, Yummi Yogis and Greengate Garden Centres as well as Enactus Calgary, orchard trees were purchased for planting at the Calgary Homeless Foundation sites.

Stephanie Jackman, Founder & President of the REAP Business Association is proud of the Community Orchards project and the generous donors who participated. “Thanks to the leadership of The Naaco Truck who brought us this opportunity, Community Orchards help REAP businesses to reduce their environmental impact by creating lasting assets for Calgary communities in need. We’re proud to have facilitated the donation of 200 trees for the creation of eight orchards since 2013.”

The impact of a day like this one are staggering. In addition to beautifying the communities, on average these two orchards will remove 8 tonnes of CO2 from the air, filter 102 litres of storm water and improve the quality of 20 kilograms of air each year. Tenants of each building will also receive a care and recipe book that will teach them about the trees planted and how to incorporate those goods into everyday cooking.

Thank you to REAP and Enactus Calgary as well as all the volunteers, business, tenants and agencies who made this year’s tree planting such a success. We’re already planning for next year and are excited about the possibilities!

For more information about the REAP Business Association and the Community Orchards project please visit http://www.belocal.org/.

The Community Orchard Project

Taking care of Mother Nature is everyone’s responsibility; a task that can seem daunting in the midst of our busy lives. Respect for the Earth and All People (REAP) is an organization that is showing Calgarians just how simple taking care of our planet can be. A non-profit association for locally owned business that care about the community and the planet, REAP demonstrates that businesses can make a fair profit while contributing to healthy and prosperous communities. Its latest undertaking, the Community Orchards project, is a collaboration between REAP and Enactus Calgary.

It began in 2012 when The Naaco Truck asked REAP for assistance planting 50 trees in order to cut the carbon emissions of its mobile food business. REAP suggested that The Naaco Truck donate fruit bearing trees in certain areas of the city to simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and food insecurity while beautifying public spaces.

In the spring of 2013, with the help of International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone and Greengate Garden Centres, four community orchards were planted in the greater Forest Lawn area in Calgary.

When REAP shared the story of The Naaco Truck’s donation with other businesses in the network, more local businesses wanted to help. Leela Eco Spa & Studio, Conscious Brands, Nya Sustainability Consulting, Neal’s Yard Remedies and Yummi Yogis added to the donations by The Naaco Truck and Greengate Garden Centres, tripling the size of the program in just two years!

With limited resources to manage complex site approvals and multiple stakeholders, REAP reached out to Enactus Calgary for help. This University of Calgary chapter of Enactus Worldwide – a community of 60,000 student, academic and business leaders enabling sustainable progress through entrepreneurial action – agreed to a 5-year partnership to bring the project to its full potential.

Now with environmental and social impact reporting, strategic community partnerships with the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) and Grow Calgary, and a student support team, REAP and Enactus Calgary are harnessing the generosity of local businesses to create lasting community assets.

Volunteers from REAP and Enactus Calgary will come together on Sunday, August 9th at two Calgary Homeless Foundation locations to plant the 75 orchard trees donated by REAP businesses. Acadia Community Garden and Art Society and Grow Calgary will also be receiving an additional 75 plants, to be planted the same day.

For more information about the Community Orchards or to find out how you can participate, contact Stephanie Jackman, Founder & President of REAP Business Association, at stephanie@reapcalgary.com.

 

 

 

Cameron Bailey: New Chair of the Calgary Homeless Foundation

Cameron Bailey is the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s (CHF’s) new Chair of the Board and has served on the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s board since 2010. Cam and his wife Gelaine spent 15 years living overseas and have volunteered numerous times in rural communities in Africa. Some of their most memorable trips to Africa include time spent in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa. Cam has a B. Commerce degree from UBC and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is active with other boards including the Alberta Energy Regulator, the UBC Sauder Business School and Westside King’s Church where he serves as past Chair of the Board of Trustees. Cam also served on the board of the Telus Spark Calgary Science Center from 2010-2015.

Recently, Cam took some time out from his busy volunteer schedule to share his thoughts on ending homelessness, volunteering and his new role as Chair of CHF’s Board of Directors.

Q: What inspired you to begin serving on the CHF board in 2010?

A: When we moved back to Calgary in 2009 after being away from the city for 15 years living overseas, I wanted to re-engage in the community. I spent my first few months back in Calgary  talking to community leaders about what the big leverage points were, and what initiatives were underway that could potentially have the most impact on our city. I kept hearing about the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. It became pretty evident that this was one of Calgary’s big, bold, exciting, initiatives and, at the time, quite unique in Canada. I soon joined the board and got immersed in the mission to end homelessness.

Q: You’re retired now and this position is a big commitment. What drives you to volunteer like you do?

A: After several years on the board, I’m even more of a believer in the mission and in the opportunity we have through Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness. After serving for the last two years as Vice Chair, and learning a lot from Alan Norris, it seemed like a logical next step to move into the Chair role when Alan announced his intentions to step down and focus his efforts chairing the RESOLVE campaign. I knew that this was an important opportunity to continue to make a difference.

Q: What do you see as the role of the Chair of the Board?

A: The biggest part of the role is to work with the board to support Diana [Krecsy] as President & CEO, and, in turn, support the team at CHF to deliver on the objectives of the Plan. I believe it’s also the responsibility of the Chair, and of the board members more broadly, to keep the focus on delivering against the Plan, to make sure that we’re out in the community, talking to people, supporting this important initiative. We can’t forget that through the excellent work of all the agencies in Calgary’s homelessness serving sector, people’s lives are changed, one at a time. And the clock is ticking. We all feel the sense of urgency to get people off the street and into supportive housing, with the services they need to get back on their feet.

Q: What are your top three priorities as Chair?

A: Our first priority is to support Diana and the management team establish the new Community Council (CC). With the creation of the CC, CHF can refocus on what our original role was intended to be – to serve as the orchestrator of the mission to end homelessness and to be the backbone entity that tracks sector progress towards this goal across the overall system of care. Our second priority is to focus on encouraging more connectivity and collaboration within the homeless serving sector. Because homelessness is a large and complex problem to solve, as a community we will be much more impactful working as a collective whole, sharing resources and capabilities rather than working independently of each other, often without the scale necessary for significant impact, and in some cases even duplicating services and “competing” for clients, staff and funding. And our third priority is to bring us as a Board closer to understanding and appreciating the front line experience and successes that agencies are having in Calgary. Beginning in September, we’re looking at having our board meetings on-site at different agency locations. By being “on-site” we hope to be able to tour the facilities, hear directly from a staff or a client about the work they are doing and invite the agency CEO and board chair to tell us about their strategic direction.

Q: Where do you see CHF in a year to three years?

A: In these next three years, our biggest goal is just driving full steam ahead to achieve the goals of the Plan to End Homelessness. It’s an all hands on deck approach to deliver on the commitments of the Plan. The key to success will be through community ownership of the Plan, hence the priority on getting the Community Council established. Beyond that, as a board we have begun the process of thinking through the role of CHF post 2018. We don’t have those answers yet.

Q: What are some impressions that you’ve taken away from your time in Africa? Are there any parallels you’ve noticed from your volunteer work there to your work here in Calgary?

A: My wife and I have spent a lot of time in Africa, in remote places, getting exposure to people who are the most in need and the most at risk. We’ve had the chance to sit in classrooms in rural schools, and to see the joy on children’s faces as they describe what their dreams are. In many respects, you hear the same career aspirations that you would sitting in a Calgary elementary school classroom – the kids in rural African communities want to grow up to be engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists and nurses. But because of the birth lottery, the kids in Africa don’t have the clear pathways to these careers like our own children do here in Canada. Bright, ambitious young kids in these rural African communities may never have the chance to get through grade school, let alone attend a college or university. It’s wasted talent, and an incredible amount of untapped human potential. Progress in being made, but the pace is frustratingly slow. Again, in trying to solve a large and complex problem, scale is important. Large, well run organisations like World Vision do great work, and have significant impact, by working at the community level, empowering a whole village to move out of poverty and become self sustaining. Here in Calgary, in this city of immense wealth, we take pride in working together as community to look after our own, to ensure nobody is left behind. And, in parallel, as a community, we can extend a helping hand beyond our city borders to help those in need elsewhere, to make the world a better and safer place for those less fortunate. The Plan to End Homelessness is one important aspect of our broader obligations.

Documentary: Do you see me?

Documentary on human rights and discrimination on the streets of Calgary. Video can be viewed below.