Raising the Roof gives community groups, schools, businesses and people from all walks of life the opportunity to get involved in solutions to homelessness nationally and in your own community.

As an individual, you can join the fight to reduce and prevent homelessness.

• Participate in one of our high-energy, high-profile events like Toque Tuesday and our signature comedy galas. Read more in our events section.
• Learn about homelessness, know the warning signs and spread the word about what can be done. We have a series of brochures to download and share with others. You can order these brochures as fold-out posters to post on your notice board or in your office.
• to find out more about/or to volunteer with our partner front-line agencies in your own city, please visit our web site at www.sharedlearnings.org. To contact us about volunteering in an administrative capacity for the national office please visit our contact us page.

Together, we can all work to make a difference in the lives of the thousands of men, women and children who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

	Stuart Mair was homeless for many years. After surviving mental health problems and overcoming years of substance abuse, he has dedicated himself to bringing attention to the issues of homelessness and poverty through music and photography. In 1992, he formed the Full Circle Band, a blues band which plays at community events, for homelessness agencies and at fundraisers. The Full Circle Band has just finished recording its first CD, titled Streets. Mair shows the reality of homelessness and poverty through his photos, and, in doing so, breaks down many myths around people who are homeless. The photos shown above tell the story of a man who is employed but is nonetheless homeless because housing is still so unaffordable; the caring street youth that wrote a poem for Mair's daughter, and the trackside land which has become home to some of Ottawa's homeless. Some of Mair's photos grace our Web site.

Photo credits: Montreal City Mission.