What is a Community-Based Organization?
In our city, there are government ministries and non-profit agencies working hard to ensure people get back into a home with the supports they need.
But who coordinates these ministries and agencies so that dollars and resources meet people’s needs effectively and efficiently?
The answer: a Community-Based Organization, or CBO.
The Value of a CBO
Imagine two layers. In the first, we have philanthropists and donors, and government ministries like housing, health, justice, and social services, looking at how to best allocate taxpayer dollars to achieve the best outcomes.
In the second, we have non-profit agencies doing incredible work to support individuals experiencing homelessness. Together, these agencies form a network called Calgary’s Homeless-Serving System of Care.
Both layers and the individual entities within them are focused on helping vulnerable Calgarians the best way they can, but they aren’t always able to see what the others are doing. As a result, there’s no way for them to coordinate their work and to measure its collective impact.
That’s why Calgary Homeless Foundation sits between them as the CBO. Like a mountain guide who sees and understands the landscape, we see and understand homelessness in the city, allowing us to guide the fight against it.
Using information gathered through our Homeless Management Information System, we provide governments, agencies, and the private sector with data and research to measure the impact of their decisions and to better allocate funds to address homelessness.
We use the same information to strengthen programs and services offered by Calgary’s Homeless-Serving System of Care and to allocate funding to agencies, so people experiencing homelessness receive the support they need.
Our broad view of the homelessness landscape and ability to synchronize efforts is why governments and agencies trust us to serve as the CBO guiding the unified fight against homelessness.
