Zero is a big number.homewardtrust.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/HomewardTrust-AR-… · 2017 –...

Zero is abig number.

Annual R

eport

Jan 2

017 –

Mar

2018

Board of Directors

Colleen Purdy, Eva John-Gladue, Jim Rivait, Joseph Jobin, Meaghan

Conroy, Patricia Mackenzie, Rocky Sinclair, Steve Lenarduzzi, Terry Coyes

Community Plan Committee

Aretha Greatrix , Bev Zubot , Cam McDonald , Chris Basualdo, Christa

Gilroy, Cody Spencer, Daryl Kreuzer, Debra Jakubec, Esther de Vos, Gail

Haynes, Howard Seivright, Jay Freeman, Jeannette Wright, Jill Kelland,

Kofi Amoh, Kris Knutson, Lorette Garrick, Maurice Rachwalkski, Michael

Brown, Nicole Kurtz, Norma Chitrena, Pamela Spurvey, Roberto Peterson,

Ron Walker, Stephanie Chai, Susan Watson, Yvonne Chiu

Indigenous Advisory Council

Angela Ferguson, Brenda Desjarlais, Gwen Muskwa, Leith Campbell, Nona

German, Rose Mueller

Project Review Committee

AJ Jeannotte, Christa Gilroy, Ed Jones, Evelyn David, Jane Bisbee, John

Ohki, Howard Seivright, Kelly Wagar, Michael Phair, Norma Chitrena

Youth Systems Committee

Adaobi Okeke, Alaina Thursby, Alanna Manchak, Ally Becker, Brian Simp-

son, Bruce Reith, Cameron Buchanan, Catherine Broomfield, Cecilia

Blasetti, Christa Gilroy, Clare Gallant, Dan Jones, Deb Cautley, Deb

Johansson, Denise Milne, Denise Ogden, Donna Kutschke, Ellen Herle,

Erick Ambtman, Harneet Chahal, Holly Hallborg, Jeannette Wright, Jelle

Van Ens, Jenny Kain, Jessica Day, Jill Kelland, Joanne Currie, Joel Nikkel,

Julian Daly, Karen Drynan, Karin Fredricksen, Katherine Hay, Kent McLeod,

Kofi Amoh, Kourch Chan, Kris Knutson, Larry Gazzola, Linda Garvin,

Mandy Dening, Margo Long, Melanie Kidder, Michael Brown, Michael

Phair, Michelle Fillion, Natalie Magnan, Natasha Justinen, Pat Yuzwenko,

Patti Brady, Paula Cornell, Peter Smyth, Sandra Prokopiw, Sheena Trent

Research Committee

Bob McKeon, Elaine Hyshka, Esther de Vos, Heather Curtis, Jeannette

Wright, John Kolkman, Kathy Kovacs Burns, Kelly Wagar, Kofi Amoh,

Kourch Chan, Lindsay Broderick, Lisa Bromley, Lois Gander, Louanne

Keenan, Lynn Hannley, Mike Van Boom, Phyllis Steeves, Roxanne Felix-

Mah, Sandeep Agrawal, Shireen Surood, Solina Richter, Tracy Mercier

Housing First Advisory Committee

Bruce Reith, Cecilia Blasetti, Dean Kurpjuweit, Gary St. Amand, Henry

Motta, Joan Baker, Julian Daly, Kourch Chan, Lorette Garrick, Lovette

Ferguson, Pamela Coulson

Homeless Connect Steering Committee

Brian Dompe, Dan Johnstone, Francisco Yu, Jennifer Dermott, Kelly

Holland, Kent McLeod, Lisanne Lewis, Rebecca Fletcher

Homeward Walk/Run Committee

Becky McIntyre, Beth Neufeld, Catherine Broomfield, Debbie Buchynski,

Deb Caultey, Jay Schreiner, Jenn Beleshko, Jennifer Engber, Katie Soles,

Kimberly McLeod, Kourch Chan, Lauren Read, Margo Long, Mo Dahrouge,

Rick Bachor, Robin Murray

Acknowledgements

Sponsors

ROOPH Awards

Clearpointe Benefits, Capitial Regional Housing Corp, Lloyd Sadd,

Fully Managed

Homeless Connect

Edmonton Public Library, Hearts of Blue (Alberta Blue Cross), Health

Sciences Association of Alberta, CKUA, 14222591 AB Ltd./Venue Plus,

Freeman Audio Visual, Chris’ Delivery Service, Rosemary Malowany, PWC,

Canadian Western Bank, Unilever

Homeward Walk/Run

The Home Builder / Design Shop Ltd., Portuguese Canadian Cultural

Society, Rohit Communities, Clark Builders, Remax, Talent Productions,

Running Room, Chateau Lacombe, AGA, Via Rail, Supreme Basics, Cook-

ies By George, Acquired Taste Tea, Evoolution, Fat Franks, Foto Bouth,

Metro, Copy City

Funders

Ending homelessnessis a challenge that requires community collaboration, system planning, and a strong commitment to moving people out of chronic homelessnessand into stable housing.

Susan McGee, Chief Executive OfficerHomeward Trust Edmonton

06Letter from the Chair

15A Structure of Support

22Shifting our Perspective

08Letter from the CEO

16We Stand Together,We Understand Together

10It Takes a Community,To Build a Community

18Building on a Plan

12A Direction Home

21Building on Success

Table of Contents

28Taking Down the Wallsto Build News Ones

24Open Doors

31Space to Grow Finding Our place

3841Housing

33Supporting Structures

Elevating Connections2627Building Belonging

34Building a Force for Change

42Financials

Letter from the Chair

Every challenge is a foundation to

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Letter from the Chair 07

Ending homelessness is a huge challenge that must be met with bold initiatives. During the past year we have seen how Edmonton’s commitment to leading practices is shaping initiatives aimed at ensuring every person has a place to call home, both in Canada and around the world.

Of particular note is the federal government’s release of the first ever National Housing Strategy which includes Reaching Home, an initiative which commits to reducing chronic homelessness in Canada by 50 percent. Home-ward Trust is also proud to be part of Edmonton’s ongoing involvement in the Built for Zero initiative, another exam-ple of our community’s advanced contribution to interna-tional, national and provincial efforts to prevent and end homelessness. Built for Zero is a rigorous change effort that requires community collaboration, system planning and a strong commitment to moving people out of chronic homelessness and into stable housing – all hallmarks of Edmonton’s approach, reflected in the updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

One of our community’s signature achievements this year was being named by the Institute of Global Homelessness as one of 10 Vanguard Cities in a campaign to end street homelessness by 2020. Being a part of these esteemed groups and bold efforts is a testament to our community’s hard work and leadership in the effort to end homelessness.

Looking at the year ahead, it is clear there is still much to do and more to learn. The level of support from leaders at all levels of government allows us to continue on a promising path forward as a community and as a coun-try. We are thankful for the financial support we receive from all orders of government, and the support gener-ously provided by our community partners. We need both to succeed.

I was honoured this year to be named Chair of Home-ward Trust’s Board of Directors and would like to acknowl-edge the work and dedication of Patricia Mackenzie, our past Chair. As we consider the achievements of this past year, I thank Homeward Trust’s staff, board members and community partners for their ongoing dedication. None of this would be possible without your support and hard work.

Steve Lenarduzzi, ChairHomeward Trust EdmontonBoard of Directors

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Letter from the CEO 08

Almost a decade ago, Alberta became the first province in Canada to commit to ending homelessness with the release of A Plan for Alberta: Ending Homelessness in 10 Years. Not long thereafter, Edmonton became one of the first Canadian cities to do so when it released its original 10-year plan in 2009.

Since then we have made great strides towards the goal. Together with our community partners, we have housed more than 7,500 people using the Housing First model as of March 2018 – and we’re on track to reach 9,000 about a year after that. We have expanded the range of services and supports available in the community to help clients access housing and achieve greater stability. We have enhanced coordination in the homeless-serving sector, so that the resources deployed by community agencies are having greater impact. And Edmonton has emerged as a leader in collaborative community efforts to end homelessness.

We took time in 2017 to take stock of these achievements, and it had a galvanizing effect on our community. With appreciation for what we have learned and the momen-tum we have, Homeward Trust and the City of Edmonton released A Place to Call Home: Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Informed by the views of over 3,000 Edmontonians, this renewed commitment builds on our successes as a community and charts a path for further action.In addition to recommitting to the

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Letter from the CEO 09

goal of ending chronic and episodic homelessness, the Updated Plan explicitly articulates the goal of prevent-ing future homelessness wherever possible; and calls for us to develop an integrated systems response to homelessness. In 2017, we invested considerable resources towards realizing these goals. As you will see in this Annual Report, these efforts have already had positive impacts.

For example, by collaborating with service support orga-nizations that previously had no housing resources, we have housed more than 100 individuals who would not have been prioritized for Housing First programs. We have also engaged partners to develop standardized diversion practices to link people to appropriate resources and help them retain their housing wherever possible. And we have expanded the reach of Coordinated Access, such that Edmonton now has more than 60 access points through which people in need can consistently access services.

As we look toward a second decade of work towards the goal of ending homelessness, it is more important than ever that our community has access to the resources needed to fuel our efforts. This includes the development of Permanent Supportive Housing, which is vital for help-ing some of our community’s most vulnerable citizens. The right investments, matched with the demonstrated commitment of Edmontonians, will help us make an even greater impact in the years ahead.Almost a decade ago,

Susan McGee, Chief Executive OfficerHomeward Trust Edmonton

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It Takes a Community 10

It takes a

community.

To build a

Working to Strengthen Lives & Strengthen Community

Homeward Trust Edmonton is responsible for coordinating a community-based approach to address homelessness in our city.

Through strong and productive relationships with a number of local partners, in addition to our own efforts, we coordinate and deliver programs that will help individ-uals and families achieve greater stability in their housing and in their lives.

We believe that everyone has the right to a home, and that addressing homelessness makes our communities stronger, safer and more vibrant.

To Build a Community 11

Our goal is not to merely manage, but to end chronic homelessnessfor good.

12A Direction Home

Renewed Commitment to End Homelessness

For almost a decade, Homeward Trust’s work has been guided by Edmonton’s original 10-year Plan to End Home-lessness. In the process of housing more than 7,500 people over that time, we have learned and evolved. The homeless-serving sector now features increased coor-dination and better use of data. We have applied proven practices in outreach and case management. And we have remained nimble in our work, making necessary course-corrections in response to evidence and changing community conditions.

Thanks to these efforts, our community now knows more than ever before about the scope of homelessness in Edmonton and what is required to end it.

This spirit of continual learning infused our work during 2017 – and in particular, the updating of Edmonton’s Plan to End Homelessness, which was a key focus of the year. This undertaking involved significant reflection, research and citizen engagement. It gave our community an oppor-tunity to examine how far we’ve come, and to consider how to best address the challenge of homelessness going forward.

In fall 2017, Homeward Trust and the City of Edmonton released A Place to Call Home – Edmonton’s Updated Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (the “Updated Plan”). With this guidance, Homeward Trust will build upon local progress and knowledge gained, with a renewed commitment to preventing, addressing and ending home-lessness in our community.

d i r ec t i o n

13A Direction Home

A Housing First Philosophy Edmonton’s approach to ending homelessness is anchored in a Housing First philosophy. Housing First involves helping people move from an experience of homelessness into stable housing as quickly as possible, and ensuring that the necessary supports are in place for them to remain housed. As a proven approach used nationally and internationally, Housing First has become firmly rooted in our values as a community.

Part of Edmonton’s Unique Story

Edmonton has emerged as a leader in collaborative community efforts to address and end homelessness. Over time, Homeward Trust has been increasingly called upon to share and showcase this aspect of Edmonton’s unique story with audiences across Canada and around the world. Today, Homeward Trust plays an active role in exporting Edmonton’s knowledge and expertise in this area, with involvement in national and international organizations.

These include the Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH), which is working with key global partners to eradicate street homelessness in 150 cities around the world by 2030. As a foundation for this objective, the IGH is under-taking the 2020 Vanguard Cities Initiative, which aims to end street homelessness in a smaller group of cities by the year 2020. In November 2017, Edmonton became the first named Vanguard City for this Initiative – a group that now also includes Adelaide, Australia; Chicago, USA; Glasgow, Scotland; Manchester, UK; Rijeka, Croatia; and Tshwane, South Africa. Homeward Trust also has taken a leadership role within the 20,000 Homes Campaign, a national change move-ment focused on housing 20,000 of Canada’s most vulner-able people experiencing homelessness by July 1, 2020. A related initiative, Built for Zero, has engaged leaders from our sector in enhancing a focus on real-time data and testing practice improvements.

These initiatives will serve as additional touchstones for Homeward Trust as we continue our work with numerous community partners to end homelessness in Edmonton.


Informing Our Work with Indigenous Perspectives

Indigenous peoples continue to be vastly over-repre-sented amongst people experiencing homelessness. By 2018, local data showed that 57% of those experiencing homelessness identified as Indigenous.

The Updated Plan places continued emphasis on work-ing with Indigenous communities to address this stark disparity. The Plan also recognizes and responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action through an explicit acknowledgement that Indigenous homelessness is a colonial legacy.

In this spirit and with this acknowledgment, Home-ward Trust works closely with Indigenous communities and stakeholders to ensure our efforts are informed by Indigenous voices and are rooted in a commitment to Reconciliation.

Learning by Doing: IndigenousCeremony and Traditional Practice

Connection to culture can be a vital part of the healing journey for many Indigenous peoples as they transition out of homelessness. With this in mind, it is essential that staff working in the community have the knowledge and tools needed to help participants access ceremony, traditional practices, and knowledge keepers.

In 2017, Homeward Trust established the position of Oskapewis (Indigenous Cultural & Educational Helper) to join other key roles throughout the sector in facili-tating access to Indigenous culture. The Oskapewis role supports staff in the homeless-serving sector with experiential learning opportunities in community and on the land that will provide them with the understanding and confidence to help their clients access cultural connections. Grounded in protocol and guided by knowl-edge keepers, the Oskapewis role is already making a difference.

In 2017, more than 400 staff and stakeholders from the homeless-serving sector had opportunities to participate in ceremony, circles and training to increase their knowl-edge of Indigenous traditions and practices. Feedback from participants has been very good, and the number of cultural efforts recorded by Housing First program staff in their case management work is increasing markedly.

16We Stand Together

Experiential learningopportunitieshaveincluded:sweats, medicine picking, pipe ceremo-nies, brushdowns (traditional healing), sundance singing, Sundance, pow wow, Indian Residential School training, holistic teachings, circle processes, and smudge making workshop

We stand

17We Understand Together

Engaging Indigenous Perspectives

Throughout the year, we undertake a variety of efforts to engage Indigenous peoples and communities to seek their wisdom and perspectives. The knowledge and rela-tionships built through these interactions helps inform our work, enabling us to better craft programs and better position the homeless-serving sector to effectively assist Indigenous clients. Some of our noteworthy engagements during 2017 included the following:

The 2017 Indigenous Gathering, held in March, brought Indigenous agencies, service providers, organizations, and businesses together to share knowledge and speak to experiences of urban Indigenous housing and home-lessness. This included keynote speaker Jesse Thistle from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, who presented on the newly developed Definition of Indige-nous Homelessness.

In September, Homeward Trust was humbled to partic-ipate in a national gathering of Indigenous Elders in Edmonton, and to support several local Elders to attend. The Gathering marked the first time in Canada’s history that First Nation, Métis and Inuit Elders were invited from coast to coast to join in unity and to share their stories, wisdom and knowledge

Ceremony to bring landlords and tenants together

It is not only staff who can benefit from greater under-standing of Indigenous culture but landlords as well. Through the Oskapewis role, Homeward Trust has been able to facilitate pipe ceremonies and smudges for Hous-ing First partner landlords and their buildings, with a very positive response.

Ken Armstrong, Homeward Trust’s Oskapewis has facili-tated a number of requests for ceremony with an elder. “It’s not one and done,” explains Ken. “Following the request, we talk with the landlord about the requested ceremony, its purpose, and importance of protocol. Each time you do it, the heaviness of the building gets lighter. So, it’s a good first step to open that door.”

Kyle Soroka, Property Manager at Canora Place, shared how the first ceremony benefited residents as well as himself. “I thought it would be a good opportunity for the Indigenous people in the building to do something that’s important for them. I didn’t really know too much about it (ceremony), and it was a good opportunity for me to learn, too.” Kyle also shared that bringing this ceremony to Canora Place has brought him and some of his tenants closer together.

Homeward Trust was a partner and participant in the 2017 National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, with representation in both the Community Pavilion and the tipi village. In addition to helping plan the day, we represented maintained ongoing relationships with the National Indig-enous Peoples Day Steering Committee.

Homeward Trust strives to infuse all of its work with the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people and communities. As we enter a second decade of coordinated community action of homelessness, we are mindful of how our efforts to address and end Indigenous homelessness can help bring about true and meaningful reconciliation.

We understand

A Renewed Plan to Preventand End Homelessness

Homeward Trust and the City of Edmonton launched a collaborative and inclusive process to review and update Edmonton’s original 10-year plan to end homelessness. In all, more than 3,000 Edmontonians contributed to the development of the Updated Plan, including community members, people with lived experience of homelessness, experts and frontline workers, and representatives from all levels of governments. In September 2017, Edmonton City Council endorsed the Updated Plan, capping off a true community initiative.

The Updated Plan takes a systems approach, using the guiding concept of “functional zero”, meaning that home-lessness is prevented whenever possible, and that experi-ences of homelessness are rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Homelessnessas an issue remainsan important priority for Edmontonians.In one survey of more than 1,200 respondents, about 80% considered homelessness to be very importantto them.

Ending Chronic andEpisodic Homelessness

Placing it front and centre as the number one goal, the Updated Plan calls for the continuing use of Housing First programs to move people out of chronic and episodic homelessness and into greater housing stability. Impor-tantly, this goal involves new investment in developing more Permanent Supportive Housing in the city, and work-ing with homeless-serving agencies to continue enhanc-ing the effectiveness of supports and resources to help clients maintain their housing.


Buildingon a Plan

The updatedplan identifies three main goals:

End chronicand episodic homelessness

0302


Preventfuture homelessness

Develop an integrated systems response to homelessness

20Building on Success

Since 2009, over 7200people have been housed through Housing First.

21Buiulding on Success

Buildingon Success

1435 people were housed

60% identified as Indigenous

86% were “chronically homeless”

From January 2017 – March 2018:


Testing New Innovations to Engage Harder-to-Reach Citizens

In October 2017, Homeward Trust’s Coordinated Access team worked with staff from nine homeless-serving orga-nizations to identify ways of accelerating the housing process for harder-to-reach individuals sleeping outdoors. This resulted in the development of the “Hotspots” inter-vention. This approach involves the co-location of screen-ing, homelessness diversion services, Housing First intake, and housing planning at a single location. Hotspots aims to reduce time to housing and minimize the number of participants who lose contact with Housing First teams.

24Open Doors

Focusing on the Fundamentals

Edmonton’s homeless-serving sector has evolved a great deal since the launch of the original 10-year plan and the implementation of our early Housing First programs, yet the fundamentals of our work remain the same. With this in mind, Homeward Trust partnered with OrgCode Consult-ing to make Housing First focused training available for the sector to ensure that core practices remains strong. A week of learning sessions were provided by Iain DeJong of OrgCode, including:

Street Outreach to Housing

How to be a Housing Focused Shelter

High Functioning Rapid Re-Housing & Intensive Case Management Teams

Diversion 101

Adhering to the Housing First Philosophy for Assertive Community Treatment and Permanent Supportive Housing

Open doors.

25Open Doors

26Elevating Connections

Deploying New Housing First Teams

In 2017, we were pleased to expand Housing First programming to include two new Intensive Case Manage-ment teams – one operated by The Mustard Seed, and the other by Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA).

The addition of the NCSA team has increased capacity to address chronic homelessness and brought a second Indigenous Housing First team to the sector. This work of this team was commenced with a pipe ceremony in Octo-ber to recognize its connections to community, culture and traditional practices. Indigenous programming deliv-ered by Indigenous agencies is vital for making culture available as part of Indigenous peoples’ healing journeys. Enhancing cultural supports, and access to ceremony and traditional practices, are part of recognizing and address-ing the effects of colonialism, trauma and discrimination on Indigenous peoples.

27Building Belonging

During the past year, we were pleased to support new opportunities to address youth homelessness as well:

Push for Change: Edmonton hosted two local events that raised about $10,000 during the Push For Change campaign. Push For Change featured Joe Roberts walk-ing more than 9000 km across Canada to raise funds and awareness for preventing youth homelessness.

Safe Spaces for LGBTQ2S+ Youth: Until recently there were no designated shelter spaces or housing in Edmonton for youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisex-ual, transgender, queer/questioning, and/or two-spirited (LGBTQ2S+). Launched in late 2017, the Safe Spaces program provides services that recognize the unique needs of LGBTQ2S+ youth. Operated by e4c, Safe Spaces provides short-term supportive accommodations and case management that are gender-inclusive, and that emphasize LGBTQ2S+ supports.

Considerable effort was invested in working with advi-sors from the local LGBTQ2S+ community to ensure that the program and accommodations are welcoming and responsive to the unique needs and perspectives of LGBTQ2S+ youth. Design was also informed by Alber-ta’s LGBTQ2S Housing and Shelter Guidelines, to which Homeward Trust was proudly a contributor.

Buildingbelonging.

28Taking Down the Walls to Build New Ones

Reducing Barriers to HousingThrough Supported Referrals

To enhance Edmonton’s prevention measures, Home-ward Trust initiated the Supported Referrals pilot project in 2017, in partnership with more than 10 community support services agencies and funded in part by the Government of Canada. Supported Referrals makes one-time financial resources and furnishings available to partner agencies to help their clients access housing. This helps the agencies and their clients overcome some of the most common barriers to housing, such as saving for a damage deposit, or not having any housewares. To help ensure program participants have housing stability, the partnering agencies continue supporting the participants for at least six months.

Early results of this pilot have been very promising. A total of 136 people had been housed by March 2018, working with the following partner agencies:

Bissell Centre, The Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation, Catholic Social Services, e4c, George Spady Society, HIV Edmonton, Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, The Mustard Seed, Norwood Child and Family Services, Pregnancy Pathways

Preventing Future Homelessness

Effectively ending homelessness requires that we prevent instances of homelessness from occurring in the first place. Strong prevention and diversion initiatives are key to ensuring that homelessness becomes rare, brief and non-recurring in Edmonton.

29Taking Down the Walls to Build New Ones

30Space to Grow

Taking Action to End Youth Homelessness

Youth who experience homelessness are at greater risk of long-term homelessness in later life. Address-ing youth homelessness is therefore critical as part of overall prevention efforts. Homeward Trust works with many community and government partners to implement the Community Strategy to End Youth Homelessness in Edmonton.

In 2017, Youth Housing First teams moved from the pilot phase to full implementation, and the results have been significant. More than 100 youth had been housed and supported through these teams by March of 2018.

At the same time, the pilot phase concluded on two service “hubs” that offered a number of co-located services for youth. Much was learned from this pilot about how youth experiencing homelessness tend to access services. With the advice of the Youth Systems Committee, Homeward Trust and other community partners are continuing to confront the gaps and barriers in service that can result in young people becoming entrenched in homelessness.

31Space to Grow

Developing an Integrated Systems Response

No one agency, program or mechanism can end home-lessness. Success requires many different organizations and efforts including prevention initiatives, intervention efforts, and supports for long-term stability working together consistently towards shared goals.

Increasingly, communities across North America and beyond are recognizing and affirming the importance of a systems-based approach to ending homelessness. This means having in place the right network of public systems, community-based housing options and appro-priate services and supports.

Strengthening Coordination in the System

In order for our homeless-serving system to function efficiently, many partners must be involved in identify-ing people who are experiencing homelessness and helping match those people to the services they require. Our system addresses this need for alignment through Coordinated Access. Every Coordinated Access partner uses the same process for assessing and referring people experiencing homelessness. As a result, screening and referral are undertaken consistently and there is “no wrong door” to access services. Those who have been screened and prioritized are placed on the “By Name List”, which is a real-time registry administered by Homeward Trust.

During the past year, Homeward Trust undertook consid-erable effort to expand Coordinated Access partner-ships. There are now more than 60 access points across Edmonton that can identify and screen people onto the By Name List using a standardized screening tool. As the By Name List has become more comprehensive, we are better positioned to identify trends in homelessness in real time and quickly respond to changing needs.


Coordinated Access brings consistency to how individuals and families are assessed and how services are prioritized. By having a consistent understanding about the kinds of supports required by individuals or families, services can be targeted to those who need the most help getting into housing and staying housed.

For example, many people who experience homelessness for a short timemay not require a program such as Housing First, but instead can resolve their situation with some other community support. Among those who are eligible for Housing First, meanwhile, those with the greatest needs can be identified and served first.


Building a

The on-going contributions of the Participant Advisory Committee, the membership of which is comprised of individuals who have experienced homelessness and participated in a Housing First program in Edmonton.

The Youth Advisory Group provided a lived experience perspective on national surveys, offered input on the refinement of Youth Housing First teams in Edmonton, and co-presented at both the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness 2017 Conference in Winnipeg, and the 7 Cities Conference held in Edmonton.

Engaging the Perspectives of Those with Lived Experience For years, the voices of people who have lived experience with homelessness have been key sources of guidance and feedback that we use to inform our work – including the development of the Updated Plan. Homeward Trust regularly engages those with lived experience. During the past year some key engagements included:

People with lived experience were directly engaged for their perspectives on how to best conduct the Homeless Count planned for April 2018, including the development of survey materials, methods of compensation and train-ing of volunteers.

Lived experience volunteers informed the development of the survey being offered to people within Housing First programs. Homeward Trust issues this survey annually to all program participants to better understand and improve their experiences.


for change.

Advancing Our UnderstandingAbout Homelessness

Homeward Trust stewards a local research agenda in support of the work to end homelessness. Advancing our knowledge, evidence and understanding on issues related to homelessness helps us discover how we can strengthen the overall system.

Our efforts in this area are supported by a Research Committee comprised of experts, academics and commu-nity leaders. The committee advises on research and knowledge translation and also acts as a bridge between academic and on-the-ground perspectives through community-engaged research.

Nearly 300 people respondedto a survey sent to 862 Housing

First participants. Over 90%reported a high level of overall

satisfaction.

Participant Experience Survey

“I just really think (Housing First) has impacted my life for the better,” one respondent explained. “I am so grateful to be able to have a home for my daughter.”

It is worth noting that over 90% of program participants felt they have been treated with dignity and respect by their housing workers. This finding, consistent across ethnic-ity and gender, underscores the dedication and desire of Housing First teams to help one of Edmonton’s most marginalized population groups. Participants expressed appreciation that workers go above and beyond to ensure they have a friend they can reach out to when they need help or simply some emotional support.

“She was so patient and … very respectful and on top of things. This woman works at a non-stop pace to help change people’s lives. I not only consider her my worker but my friend,” one participant said of her housing worker.


Project Name Principal Investigator

Building Momentum: A community based research study of a transitional housing program for pregnant or early parenting women who are precariously housed

Vera Caine

Supportive Housing for Teen Families: Investigating the Impacts of the Successful Families Program

Rebecca Gokiert

A Study in the Housing Challenges and Barriers of Senior Adults Being Discharged from Provincial and Federal Correctional Facilities in the Greater Edmonton Area

Frank Kense

The CARE Project: Caring and Responding in Edmonton

Sangita Sharma

2017 2018

Larry Shaben Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Housing Sector

Bob McKeon, Justice Coordinator (retired), Catholic Social Services

Marggo Pariseau, Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women

ROOPH Award Winners SAFQEY, Edmonton John Howard Society’s Youth Residential Services, Bissell Centre - Community Bridge Program, Geoffrey Villebrun, George Spady Society Christopher’s Place PSH

Alberta Rural Development Network, Carter Work Project (Habitat for Humanity), Hope Terrace (Bissell Centre), Renay Ristoff

ROOPH Jury Members Debbie Houle, Scott Benoit, Jason Storey, Jim Gurnett, Susan McGee

Rabbanit Batya Friedman, Jim Gurnett, Debbie Houle, Esther de Vos, Peter Smyth, Scott Benoit

Recognizing Community Leaders: The ROOPH Awards

Homeward Trust’s annual ROOPH (Recognizing Outstanding Organizations and People in Housing) Awards celebrate individuals, organizations and busi-nesses making an impact and working to address afford-able housing and homelessness initiatives in Edmonton and area.

Community nominations for the ROOPH Awards are essential to making sure the amazing people in the hous-ing sector are being recognized for the important work that they do for our community. Nominations are also reviewed by a jury of volunteers.

Between January 2017 and March 2018, we were fortu-nate to celebrate the ROOPH awards twice – once for 2017 and once for 2018. Award winners were as follows:

In 2017, Homeward Trust was pleasedto invest in the following community-basedresearch projects:


Findingour

place.

38Finding our Place

Find.

Find is a social enterprise that provides essential furnish-ings free of charge to individuals and families who are transitioning out of homelessness, and supplies low-cost, quality furniture and housewares for sale to the public. Find is the largest of its kind in North America and we are proud to support our community every day through housing first and our retail stores.

The start-up cost for anyone moving into their a new home is expensive, and can be huge barrier for someone tran-sitioning out of homelessness. By offering needed furni-ture free of charge, we are giving Housing First program participants the opportunity to build a safe, comfortable environment to start their new journeys. Our goal is to support stable housing and an improved quality of life for all participants we help house. This experience helps turn a space into a home, including with a kitchen table to enjoy meals, a comfortable space to share stories, and beds for each member of the family.

Each item found at Find is generously donated by members of the community. As well, with the support of Find customers and our funders, we are able to provide each Housing First participant with a mattress, bed frame, and other essential home goods that cannot be donated. This work is funded in part by the Government of Cana-da’s Homelessness Partnership Strategy, as well as by the Government of Alberta. In all, these efforts furnished more than 1500 homes in Edmonton from January 2017 through March 2018.

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39Finding our Place

A New “Boutique” Location

The success of the Find Donation + Retail Centre inspired the creation of a second location in the heart of downtown Edmonton. At Find, we were seeing that some commu-nity members were selflessly donating items that had greater value or collector’s appeal. A second location was conceived as a way to showcase these specialized items, and ensure that we were making the most of the generosity of our supporters.

The Find Boutique on Jasper opened its doors in July of 2017 and kicked off the grand opening with support of our amazing community members and the 124th Street Business Association.

Unlike the southside location, the Find Boutique on Jasper is a gallery-like shopping experience that focuses on accessories and interior design elements for the home. The boutique features a curated selection of antiques and vintage household items, housewares and collectibles. This makes it a treasure hunters haven, with great one-of-a-kind décor and all proceeds benefit those transitioning out of homelessness.

Finding

our

place.

Findingour

place.

40Housing

PSH units available for clients. Residents of Balwin Place can receive onsite support 24 hours a day, provided by staff from the George Spady Society, which was selected as program operator.

Homeward Trust also provides units and acts as property manager for several other supportive housing projects, including:

14 units at Hope Terrace for PSH targeted to those with a history of homelessness who are impacted by FASD.

20 PSH units at Christopher’s Place in west Edmonton.

14 PSH units at Morning Fire Protector for Indigenous families.

5 PSH spaces at George’s House in Northwest Edmonton.

19 supportive spaces at NOVA for youth experiencing homelessness.

Homeward Trust takes an active role to help ensure suffi-cient housing options are available to support the work to end homelessness. This includes developing new hous-ing, capital investment in community housing, and prop-erty management.

Development Homeward Trust acts as a developer to supply supportive housing units that are required to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness. This includes acquir-ing and holding land, developing projects and partner-ships, and completing construction.

Supportive Housing The Updated Plan calls for the development of more than 900 new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units to address identified needs. Homeward Trust moved forward on this target during the past year. During the past year, construction finished on Balwin Place, which make 25 new

Community Housing Projects

Homeward Trust has partnered with Alberta Health Services and the Government of Alberta’s Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) to develop specialized supportive housing. Through this partnership, Homeward Trust has acted as developer and property manager for 11 projects totalling 36 units in community.

Capital Investment

Since 2001, Homeward Trust has provided over $300 million in capital to projects in Edmonton with the support of all orders of government. This investment has resulted in over 1800 units of affordable housing and Permanent Supportive Housing added.

Property Management

Homeward Trust property manages a substantial portfolio of units in support of our mandate. In all, we are property manager for 200 units of affordable and supportive hous-ing. This includes almost 70 units of Indigenous housing that we hold and manage in receivership.

41Housing

Permanent Supportive Housing links permanent, affordable housing with flexible, voluntary support services to assist clients in maintaining their housing and living independently.

It is a specialized type of housing that meets the unique needs of people who have been homeless for significantperiods of time.

Housing

42Financials

we’re

at.

Where

43Financials

44Financial Summary 2017/18

57%Programsadministeredby community agencies

14%Supports to housing (rental assistance and furnishings)

6%Capital

4%Community Initiatives(e.g. Winter EmergencyResponse, events)

11%Administration

8%Programsadministeredby HomewardTrust

45Financial Summary 2017/18

RevenueProvince of Alberta $ 34,701,000Government of Canada $ 10,224,000City of Edmonton $ 1,678,000Donations, fundraising and other $ 947,000Management fees $ 573,000Interest $ 90,000Total $ 48,213,000

ExpenditureProgram administered by community agencies $ 26,697,000Supports to housing $ 6,397,000Administration $ 5,182,000Programs administered by Homeward Trust $ 3,825,000Capital $ 3,102,000Community Initiatives $ 1,906,000Total $ 47,109,000

To the Board of Homeward Trust Edmonton

The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of financial position as at March 31, 2018, and the summary statement of revenue and expenditures for the period then ended, are derived from the audited financial statements of Home-ward Trust Edmonton for the period ended March 31, 2018. We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on those statements in our report dated July 18, 2018.

The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations. Reading the summary finan-cial statements, therefore, is not a substitute for read-ing the audited financial statements of Homeward Trust Edmonton.

Management’s Responsibility for the Summary Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation of a summary of the audited financial statements on the basis in accordance with Canadian Auditing Standard (CAS) 810, “Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements.”

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the summary financial statements based on our procedures, which were conducted in accordance with (CAS) 810.

Opinion

In our opinion, the summary financial statements derived from the audited financial statements of Homeward Trust Edmonton for the period ended March 31, 2018 are a fair summary of those financial statements, in accordance with CAS 810.

Kingston Ross Pasnak LLPChartered Professional Accountants

46Financials | Homeward Trust Edmonton

July 18, 2018 – Edmonton, AB

Independent Auditor’s Report on Summarized Financial Statements


March 31, 2018 (15 months)

December, 31, 2016(12 months)

Revenue

Province of Alberta $ 34,701,266 31,709,669

Government of Canada 10,224,035 9,226,740

City of Edmonton 1,677,588 1,264,742

Donations, fundraising and other 946,794 544,855

Management fees 573,472 323,575

Interest 90,114 64,103

48,213,269 43,133,684

Project expenditures (Schedule 1) 41,927,111 39,165,856

6,286,158 3,967,828

Expenditures

Salaries and benefits 3,595,251 2,508,326

Professional fees 477,859 323,365

Rent and occupancy costs 447,414 301,995

Promotional 322,727 308,153

Travel 84,984 63,914

Office and other 84,254 153,541

Training and recruitment 62,202 78,920

Telephone 57,322 41,943

Amortization 32,227 73,053

Insurance 17,912 16,492

5,182,152 3,869,702

Excess of revenue over expenditures 1,104,006 98,126

Net assets, beginning of year 11,083,628 10,985,502

Net assets, end of year $ 12,187,634 11,083,628

For the period ended March 31, 2018

Summary Statement of Revenues and Expenditures




Assets

Current

Cash $ 6,501,926 6,162,642

Restricted Cash 8,293,872 7,893,452

Short Term Investment - 13,569

Contributions Receivable 2,856,662 6,582,277

Accounts Receivable 98,853 67,606

Goods And Service Tax Recoverable 51,992 33,626

Prepaid Expenses 73,859 65,693

Advances To Funded Agencies 987,971 4,375,804

Due From Related Parties 199,523 71,977

19,064,658 25,266,646

Equipment - 32,226

Land Held For Development / Resale 664,500 664,500

Due From Related Parties 3,154,687 2,952,617

22,883,845 28,915,989

Liabilities and Net Assets

Current

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,174,697 3,233,903

Employee deductions payable 55,979 11,481

Deferred revenue 9,307,096 14,519,030

Due to related parties 158,439 67,947

10,696,211 17,832,361

Net Assets

Unrestricted 10,200,027 9,063,794

Internally restricted 1,987,607 1,987,607

Invested in equipment - 32,227

12,187,634 11,083,628

$ 22,883,845 28,915,989


Statement ofFinancial Position




Community Initiatives

Research and Planning $ 238,682 214,916

Capacity Building 166,821 -

Community Plan Commitments 164,040 256

Homeless Connect 47,171 53,023

Point in Time Count 43,248 -

Awareness 2,049 1,704

662,011 269,899

Provincial Initiatives

7 Cities on Housing and Homelessness 128,672 190,235

Capital

Homeward Trust Holdings (Balwin) 3,081,014 1,571,730

Station Pointe 21,148 10,061

3,102,162 1,581,791

Programs - Homeward Trust

Coordinated Access 1,641,882 325,902

Edmonton Youth Strategy 601,147 263,728

Homeward Trust Property Management 314,503 277,206

Homeless Management Information System 309,160 213,369

Morning Fire PSH 248,238 151,353

Prevention and Sustainability 245,524 248,011

Landlord Relations 202,490 194,382

McDonald Loft/YMCA Relocation 155,171 -

Supported Referrals 107,266 -

Housing Outreach - 777,375

Urgent Families Initiative - 101,476

$ 3,825,381 2,552,802


Schedule ofProject Expenditures




Supports By Agency

George Spady Centre $ 4,420,832 3,127,644

Bissell Centre 3,235,081 2,340,112

E4C 2,955,574 2,897,686

Boyle McCauley Health Centre 2,245,074 1,699,546

Edmonton John Howard Society 2,147,895 1,833,994

Hope Mission 1,805,568 2,868,645

Boyle Street Community Services 1,674,374 1,465,451

Jasper Place Wellness Centre 1,380,204 1,542,023

YMCA 1,435,567 1,549,890

Alberta Health Services 1,292,279 920,929

Bent Arrow 948,435 1,059,350

Mustard Seed 841,815 429,198

NiGiNan 730,973 820,060

Schizophrenia Society of Alberta 529,467 502,586

WIN House 452,797 368,694

Native Counseling Services of Alberta 330,106 -

Housing First Team Development 71,463 230,396

Youth Empowerment & Support Services 71,383 338,533

iHuman 71,052 213,948

Catholic Social Services 32,513 -

Centre to End Sexual Exploitation 3,969 -

HIV Network 1,202 -

Norwood Centre 930 -

Bredin Centre for Learning - 202,127

$ 26,678,553 24,410,812


Schedule ofProject Expenditures




Supported Referrals

Institute Advancement Aboriginal Women $ 18,688 5,400

Household Furnishings 1,938,580 1,396,596

Rental Assistance 4,458,175 7,463,358

Winter Emergency

Boyle Street Community Services - Drop In 700,444 506,775

Mustard Seed 209,054 33,535

Jasper Place Wellness Centre 120,482 78,327

E4C 68,787 129,397

George Spady Society 16,122 30,100

Hope Mission - 276,172

Boyle Street Community Services - Van - 166,522

Edmonton Do Like Wise - 74,135

1,114,889 1,294,963

GRAND TOTAL $ 41,927,111 39,165,856

52Financials | Homeward Trust Holdings LTD.

To the Board of Directors of Homeward Trust Holdings Ltd.

The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of financial position as at March 31, 2018, and the summary statement of revenue and expenditures for the period then ended, are derived from the audited financial statements of Home-ward Trust Holdings Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018. We expressed an unmodified audit opinion on those statements in our report dated July 18, 2018.

The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations. Reading the summary financial state-ments, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial statements of Homeward Trust Holdings Ltd.





Opinion In our opinion, the summary financial statements derived from the audited financial statements of Homeward Trust Holdings Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018 are a fair summary of those financial statements, in accordance with CAS 810.







Revenue

Rent Revenue $ 720,494 492,280

Homeward Trust Edmonton - Province 240,337 94,330

Amortization Of Capital Government Assistance 195,808 116,075

Station Pointe – Pre-Development Funding 50,138 -

Homeward Trust Edmonton 3,887 445

1,210,664 703,130

Expenditures

Rent 272,420 236,904


Repairs And Maintenance 201,427 107,011

Utilities 191,958 114,295

Management Fees 126,268 90,643

Station Pointe – Pre-Development Expenses 47,525 -

Property Taxes 43,120 40,750

Insurance 36,691 27,342

Professional Fees 9,000 17,875

Interest On Long Term Debt 8,276 7,192

Office 4,109 2,961

Interest And Bank Charges 1,120 708

1,143,483 775,393

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue Over Expenditures From Operations 67,181 (72,263)

Loss on Disposal of Property And Equipment 2,904 -

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue Over Expenditures 64,277 (72,263)

Net Assets, Beginning of Period 4,170,117 4,242,380

Net Assets, End of Period $ 4,234,394 4,170,117






Assets

Current

Cash $ 262,678 508,462

Accounts Receivable 86,352 33,890

Goods And Services Tax Recoverable 128,656 50,269


656,031 790,767

Restricted Cash 57,685 46,623

Property And Equipment 12,448,744 9,524,667

Due From Related Party 35,260 414

13,197,720 10,362,471

Liabilities And Net Assets

Current

Accounts Payable And Accrued Liabilities 114,010 303,788

Due To Related Parties 16,609 23,639

Deferred Revenue 343,739 285,107

Current Portion Of Long Term Debt 30,142 29,303

504,500 641,837

Long Term Debt 242,859 280,431

Deferred Capital Government Assistance 8,158,959 5,233,719

Deposits Payable 57,007 36,366

8,963,325 6,192,353

Net Assets

Share Capital 1 1

Unrestricted 217,610 188,903

Invested In Property And Equipment 4,016,784 3,981,214

4,234,395 4,170,118

$ 13,197,720 10,362,471



55Financials | 1627175 Alberta LTD.

To the Board of Directors of 1627175 Alberta Ltd.

The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of financial position as at March 31, 2018, and the summary statement of revenue and expenditures for the period then ended, are derived from the audited financial statements of 1627175 Alberta Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018. We expressed an unmodified opinion on those statements in our report dated July 18, 2018.

The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations. Reading the summary finan-cial statements, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial statements of 1627175 Alberta Ltd.





Opinion

In our opinion, the summary financial statements derived from the audited financial statements of 1627175 Alberta Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018 are a fair summary of those financial statements, in accordance with CAS 810.







Revenue

Rent Revenue $ 233,506 125,956

Management Fees 188,049 -


533,626 184,851

Expenditures




Utilities 68,615 33,543

Property Taxes 34,099 21,677

Insurance 13,501 8,141

Office 716 265

513,211 213,107

Excess (Deficiency) Of Revenue Over Expenditures From Operations 20,415 (28,256)

Surplus / Deficiency Recovery (20,415) 28,256

Revenue Over Expenditures - -

Net Assets, Beginning Of Period 2,736,753 2,416,181

Invested In Property - Land - 320,572

Net Assets, End Of Period $ 2,736,753 2,736,753








Assets

Current

Accounts Receivable $ 4,461 4,999

Deficit Funding Receivable 15,646 28,256

Prepaid Expenses 639 1,807

Prepaid Deposit 30,757 30,757

Due From Related Parties - 9,251

51,503 75,070

Restricted Cash 341,286 1,918,097

Property And Equipment 7,315,298 5,841,707

7,708,087 7,834,874


Current


Surplus Payable 20,415 -

Due To Related Party 169,381 42,674

265,083 84,535

Deferred Revenue - Reserve Fund - 198,684

Deferred Revenue 127,705 1,709,947

Deferred Capital Government Assistance 4,578,545 3,104,954

4,971,333 5,098,120

Net Assets

Share Capital 1 1

Invested In Property 2,736,753 2,736,753

2,736,754 2,736,754

$ 7,708,087 7,834,874

58Financials | Find Furniture Bank LTD.

To the Board of Directors of Find Furniture Bank Ltd.

The accompanying summary financial statements, which comprise the summary statement of financial position as at March 31, 2018, and the summary statement of revenue and expenditures for the period then ended, are derived from the audited financial statements of Find Furniture Bank Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018. We expressed an unmodified opinion on those financial statements in our report dated July 18, 2018.

The summary financial statements do not contain all the disclosures required by Accounting Standards for Not-for-Profit Organizations. Reading the summary financial statements, therefore, is not a substitute for reading the audited financial statements of Find Furniture Bank Ltd.

Management’s Responsibility for the Summary Financial Statements Management is responsible for the preparation of a summary of the audited financial statements on the basis in accordance with Canadian Auditing Standard (CAS) 810, “Engagements to Report on Summary Financial Statements.”



Opinion

In our opinion, the summary financial statements derived from the audited financial statements of Find Furniture Bank Ltd. for the period ended March 31, 2018 are a fair summary of those financial statements, in accordance with CAS 810.







Revenue

Housing First 1,971,355 1,383,128

Furniture Sales 1,034,240 973,219

Supported Referrals 67,320 -


Interest 2,430 3,228

Homeward Trust Edmonton - 13,468

3,122,006 2,410,372

Expenditures

Salaries And Benefits 1,739,402 1,245,040

Purchased Furniture 781,802 547,947

Rent 254,705 182,083

Marketing 86,013 55,845


Utilities 84,151 52,506

Delivery 67,220 53,341

Management Fees 62,500 50,000


Supplies 36,296 30,142

Office And Other 23,839 17,695

Insurance 20,137 19,733

Telephone 13,909 10,280


Interest And Bank Charges 11,828 9,018

Training And Recruitment 5,392 3,920

3,334,179 2,393,536

(Deficiency) Excess Of Revenue Over Expenditures (212,173) $16,836

Net Assets, Beginning Of Period 467,187 450,351

Net Assets, End Of Period $ 255,014 $467,187






Assets

Current

Cash $ 157,565 $428,424

Accounts Receivable - 10,803

Inventory 52,675 22,375

Goods And Service Tax Recoverable 16,809 9,085


255,644 484,354

Equipment 49,014 96,983

Due From Related Parties 139,780 67,947

444,438 649,284


Current


Employee Deductions Payable 24,601 4,286

Due To Related Party - 375

142,762 88,775

Deferred Capital Government Assistance 46,661 93,321

189,423 182,096

Net Assets

Share Capital 1 1

Unrestricted 252,661 463,526

Invested In Equipment 2,353 3,661

255,015 467,188

$ 444,438 649,284



But sharing our stories supports and sustains our success. This is our heart-to-heart. Where real numbers are presented as the real people they represent. Made visible. Heard. A means to share our values openly and reflect upon common goals. Our shared perspectives.

We learn together. We adapt. We build.

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