Contributing to Solutions

There are many innovative programs and services, in communities across Canada, which help homeless and at-risk individuals rebuild their lives.  

Raising the Roof is proud to have provided modest financial support to more than 117 of these homelessness-serving agencies in 57 communities.

Follow these links to read about some of the exceptional work being done by agencies across Canada.

BladeRunners, Vancouver, BC

BladeRunners’ mission is to provide a system of 24/7 long-term support for unemployed at-risk youth, aged 15 – 30. Job readiness skills and workplace training are emphasized so that the youth can overcome their barriers to employment. Training and paid internships with public and private sector construction projects give the youth hands-on experience in building trades.

Participants enter a three-week training program that prepares them for the typical construction workplace. After three months, Job Coaches work with the youth to identify apprenticeship opportunities. Apprenticing youth receive support for related academic upgrading; other practical assistance such as bus tickets and basic safety equipment; and, where needed, referrals to community agencies and affordable housing. Each participant receives up to 18 months of on-the-job support. This development of long-term attachment to the workforce is a unique component of the BladeRunners model and a critical success factor. 

The Province of British Columbia provides stewardship of the program and the Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society (ACCESS) is the contracted program administrator.

Employers have discovered that the at-risk youth introduced to them by BladeRunners will succeed if given the opportunity. An average 80% of the youth remain in the construction trades with 30% progressing to journeyperson status or entrepreneurship.

Cornerstone/Le Pilier, Ottawa, ON

Cornerstone is a community organization dedicated to improving the lives of homeless women in Ottawa by providing them with emergency shelter and supportive housing in an environment which promotes dignity and a sense of hope. Three residential communities: the Women’s Shelter, 515 MacLaren and McPhail House, make up a vibrant transitional home and community for more than 500 women each year.

The Women’s Shelter has 52 beds and provides emergency shelter for single homeless women. The 515 MacLaren Street facility offers a 20-unit supportive housing program for single, formerly homeless women who are at risk of becoming homeless again.

McPhail House provides safe, affordable housing for six residents who need minimal support to live independently in the community. Often, women live at McPhail House for a short time while recovering from a difficult experience or when new to Canada. After they move on, they often stay in touch for support and a sense of community belonging.

Cornerstone staff work in partnership with many community agencies to create a safe, comfortable and empowering environment for residents. Volunteers assist with programming, exercise, community development, and an animal companionship program. Coaching is also provided on a full range of life skills, community involvement opportunities and other skills that help to remove any barriers to independence.

The St. John’s Native Friendship Centre, St. John’s, Newfoundland   

The Centre has over 300 members and is one of 114 Friendship Centres and seven Provincial Territorial Associations across Canada that form the National Association of Friendship Centres. The Centre serves Inuit, Innu, Métis and Mi’kmaq clients as well as non-aboriginal people from various parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and western Canada. It promotes the social, cultural and economic development of Aboriginal people through a wide range of programs and services.

The Four Winds Aboriginal Youth Program – the focal point for all Aboriginal youth-related activities – offers an after-school program, craft days, traditional cooking, summer camping, computer use, culture nights, youth exchange programs, traditional drumming and dancing, and more. A Community Access Program, open to the public, offers computers, printers, fax and photocopy services and access to the Internet, in a safe, supervised environment.

The Employment Assistance Program helps build skills and confidence in those seeking to enter the work force, through one-on-one job counselling, workshops and training sessions. An Urban Aboriginal Violence Prevention Program reaches out to Aboriginal women and children in violent situations, providing education on violence and violence prevention and creating networking opportunities with community leaders. The Shanawdithit Shelter, open 24/7, can accommodate up to 23 persons requiring temporary accommodation in a safe and secure environment.

The Centre’s Aboriginal Arts Program aims to promote the province’s Aboriginal visual and performing arts. There is also an on-site sales outlet retailing many different types of local Aboriginal visual art.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Thompson Inc., Thompson, Manitoba

The mission of the Thompson division of The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is to reduce the stigma of mental illness in Manitoba’s Burntwood Region through education, support, and advocacy, and to empower individuals, families and communities to achieve their own level of mental health and wellness. 

Programs and services include: the Connections Clubhouse, a community support program for adults with persistent mental health illness; the Second Chance Thrift Store, a vocational rehabilitation component of the Clubhouse that provides valuable work experience for members; Hope House, a 24/7 residence with four private rooms where adults with mental health difficulties may stay for up to 21 days; a five-bed Transitional Housing Unit that helps individuals to gain the life and work skills that will ensure long-term success in community living; a Community Housing Program, that assists clients to obtain and maintain appropriate housing; and McGill Place – a two-duplex unit providing adequate, affordable housing, with assistance from a Housing Support Worker.

Self-help programs include one-on-one support, referrals to other mental health programs, support groups and community education to organizations, schools and business on mental health issues. Programs and services emphasize peer support, empowerment, health promotion and capacity building.

CMHA Thompson is a non-profit organization funded through a combination of support from the Burntwood Regional Health Authority, Manitoba Health and others.

Many Rivers Counselling and Support Service Society, Whitehorse, Yukon

Many Rivers is a non-profit organization with offices in Whitehorse and several other Yukon communities. Its goal is to promote healthy relationships within the family, the workplace and the community. Much of the programming focuses on personal growth and on supporting people through difficult challenges and transitions, such as illness, separation, life changes, and role changes. 

Services include: support and counselling; parent support, information and education; intake and referral services; play therapyfor children; youth outreach; community information and referrals; health and lifestyle education; employee assistance programs; and a lending library.

Many Rivers’ Family Educators offer one-to-one information, support and counselling by telephone and/or in person. The organization also runs parenting programs throughout the year. Working with community and governmental groups, youth outreach workers offer support to street-involved youth aged roughly 15 through 25. Those supports include group counselling, teen pregnancy support, street outreach, transportation, drop-in programs, education and career counselling, offender reintegration and parent/teen mediation.

Many Rivers’ No fixed Address Outreach Van is a collaborative program that reaches out to street-involved people who are at risk, providing food, clothing, nursing, harm reduction material and counselling.

Wesley Urban Ministries, Hamilton, Ontario

Through its eight locations in Hamilton, Wesley offers facilities and services focused on shelter, homelessness and poverty, addressing employment, education, health and housing needs of children, youth and families.

A 24-hour drop-in/shelter for men and women provides for basic needs and offers important access to a telephone, mailing address and message system. A health clinic includes the services of a medical doctor and nurse, as well as access to addictions counselling, an Ontario Works resource representative, housing and employment advisors, and harm reduction services.

A 16-bed special care unit provides health care and managed alcohol treatment for clients experiencing chronic homelessness and chronic alcohol dependence. A 19-unit transitional housing facility for street-involved and homeless youth age 16 – 21 provides support, employment and educational resources and life skills development to help them make the transition to independent living.

Wesley’s Early Years Centre and Healthy Babies, Healthy Children programs help parents and caregivers get information about their children’s healthy development

Phoenix, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Young people facing unbearable home situations often turn to the streets to escape. They can easily find themselves adopting a life of crime and prostitution, falling victim to drugs, alcohol and violence. Through its extensive variety of programs, Phoenix Youth Programs offer at-risk and homeless youth, ages 12 – 24, a chance to break the cycle of homelessness and find a path from the street. 

Ten programs and services combine to offer an innovative continuum of care. They include prevention, crisis assistance, emergency shelter, long-term supportive and structured living, independent living, personal skill development, education, health services, and after care services. Phoenix has become known as a local authority on issues of youth homelessness.

Phoenix Youth Programs has dedicated itself to validating the experience, valuing the worth, dignity and potential of every human being, By ensuring access to the right resources, they help marginalized young people begin to feel that they can improve their lives. And by offering safe, supportive housing and advocacy, they help those meaningful changes begin to take place.

St. James Community Service Society, Vancouver, British Columbia 

St. James Community Service Society is a broad-based social service agency providing care and support for the most marginalized and vulnerable individuals, while also working to transform communities for the future.  For nearly 50 years, the Society has been making a difference in the lives of people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, throughout the city, and across the lower mainland.

St. James’ team of 300 dedicated staff care for those who face homelessness, poverty and isolation, mental illness and addictions, as well as chronic and terminal illness.  They provide a spectrum of crisis, housing, personal care, financial support and end-of-life services to over 2,000 people a year.

YOUTHLINK, Toronto, Ontario  

Youthlink provides services and programs for young people 12-25 and their families, which address the impact of poverty, homelessness and violence through counseling, educational, residential, street outreach, lifestyle stabilization programs and prevention programs. YOUTHLINK's Inner City Program helps street-involved youth stabilize and redirect their lives. "Peer Educators" – specially trained youth who were/are homeless participate in street outreach and community education and serve as "consultants" on issues involving their peers. The Youth Skills Zone is a stabilization program for young people who are working towards overcoming issues such as drug use and literal homelessness, offering them support, direction and practical skills designed to lead to secure employment and/or a return to school, as well housing. 

At the age of 15 years, Crystal left her middle class Vancouver home following escalating tensions between herself and her parents. Without the support of family or friends, and with limited education and a lack of skills, Crystal was forced to turn to the streets of Toronto in order to survive. She quickly became engaged in drug use and prostitution and she was feeling quite desperate when Inner City staff connected with her. They were especially concerned when they heard Crystal say….."I don't think anyone would miss me if I disappeared".

"YOUTHLINK kept me alive,” says Crystal. They taught me how to take care of myself and how to make the necessary changes in my life."

Crystal was eventually hired as a Peer Educator working ten hours a week, then as a full time Advanced Peer Educator working in partnership with staff. Today, Crystal is attending university, working on a Masters Degree.