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Make The World Better Magazine

Raising the Roof: Building Lasting Solutions to Homelessness

The cycle of poverty can be difficult to break. It’s not just about being homeless, though that’s a major consideration. It’s also about being able to enter or re-enter the workforce, and having the skills to do so.

Raising the Roof considers the full picture of homelessness and comes up with concrete, long-term solutions with proven results. We chatted with Director of Resource Development and Communications Leslie Bellingham about Raising the Roof.

MTWB - Raising the Roof

Tell us about Raising the Roof’s mission. 

Raising the Roof provides national leadership on long-term solutions to homelessness through partnership and collaboration with diverse stakeholders, investment in local communities, and public education. 

Our vision is for all Canadians to have access to a safe, stable home and the support they need to achieve their potential.

What inspired your founders to start Raising the Roof? 

Raising the Roof was launched in 1996 by members of the Canadian Non-Profit Housing Foundation. The goal was to create a national charity dedicated to finding long-term solutions to homelessness. After receiving a grant from the McConnell Foundation, our team set up shop in an old warehouse in Toronto’s east end. 

Raising the Roof launched its first major fundraising campaign to help the homeless. Based in Toronto, the campaign featured a week of comedy events, public education activities, and a gala featuring entertainers. The shows, which later expanded to Halifax and Vancouver, continued to raise funds and awareness for the next 15 years. 

In addition, the campaign raised enough money to benefit the Toronto homeless community, help us expand across the country, and introduce our now-famous Toque Tuesday, where toque hats were sold throughout Toronto. 

Over the years, Raising the Roof has initiated several high impact public education campaigns and research projects which are informing national policy today, as well as several innovative pilot projects. 

Today, we have completed two housing projects in our Reside program, resulting in vacant properties being transformed into homes for people at risk of homelessness, and training people with significant barriers to employment to go on to futures in construction.

What were some of the challenges you encountered? 

Raising the Roof has always been about homelessness prevention, which includes our own research and pilot projects. There have been challenges associated with researching the causes of homelessness and ways to prevent it, as well as piloting new, untested, innovative prevention measures.

We have also been an organization that brings together diverse people, organizations, and stakeholders. This has had its own set of challenges, especially as a national organization, learning about unique geographic, cultural, social, and demographic issues across the country.

In every community we are a part of, we have prioritized listening to the local community members who know the needs and resources available in that community.

COVID-19 has also produced some challenges. One way was that the funds raised for the homelessness prevention initiatives were mainly raised through in-person events pre-COVID, so we needed to pivot. 

We are looking to reinstate many of these events in a modified fashion this year, but we have also added new distribution channels for our toque sales, distribution through Home Depot stores Canada-wide this coming Toque Campaign.

What do you consider Raising the Roof’s biggest success? 

While we’re very proud of our pilot programs and research, our biggest success is our Reside program. The initial projects proved to be so effective, we put all of our resources toward it and have helped end the cycle of poverty for trainees, teaching them hands-on skills and compensating them for their work. 

Eighty-five percent of the 147 trainees have obtained permanent full-time employment in the trades after completion of the program.

Raising the Roof not only provides job opportunities, but support for trainees, including mental health counselling, parenting classes, social workers assistance, and financial management courses. 

Past Reside program trainee, Edward, has a stable, way-paying career in construction, says his mental health and housing security has improved, and he’s saving to purchase a home.

In terms of the housing projects that the Reside program works on, one of our most recent successes was a renovation that is now currently rented to two young Black women who were previously living in a temporary, emergency youth shelter. Because of the quiet, space and stability, the women are able to pursue their educational goals. 

Not only that, the project created 6,000 hours of paid training and saw nearly 87% of trainees go on to unionized apprenticeship programs or full time careers in the construction sector.

What makes your organization unique? 

Raising the Roof is unique in that we are concerned primarily with prevention and long-term solutions to homelessness at a national scale. With our Reside program, we are implementing a holistic solution that not only meets immediate needs, but addresses important root causes of homelessness. 

Because we have an existing national network of agencies that we support through our Toque Campaign, we are in a unique position to be able to implement the Reside program across the country.

How do you feel Raising the Roof makes the world better? 

Raising the Roof makes the world better by connecting people and organizations through projects that solve complex social issues in a holistic manner. The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness has estimated the average cost of an emergency shelter bed is $1,932 per month. 

Over 20 years, the cost of one shelter bed would be $463,680. One of our next projects (in Winnipeg), will be creating 10 beds. By investing in this issue now, Canada can save millions of dollars by tackling the issue at the root cause, while also preventing homelessness through careers in the trades.

MTWB- Raising the roof

Tell us about your organization’s goals. 

In 2016, there were 1.34 million empty and temporarily occupied homes in Canada. At the same time, 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year. This presents an enormous opportunity for housing and hands-on training for thousands of people at risk of homelessness.

There is also an opportunity for green buildings, improving skills training of trainees, and ensuring long-term sustainability and affordability of the homes. We work with sustainability consultants to implement innovative GHG emission reduction measures that greatly exceed National Energy Code for Buildings efficiency standards, commission detailed energy models, and implement leading edge efficiency technologies.

We plan to take our Reside program and expand it to new communities across Canada. With projects located in six cities across three provinces, we have the potential to provide housing stability, income stability, and family support to over 450 people. With the projects we have in the current pipeline, we create sustainable, affordable housing for over 50 families and training opportunities for over 300 people.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share? 

Here are three of our upcoming projects:

Winnipeg:

  • Housing: Renovation of a vacant property into three affordable homes made available to Indigenous families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, and youth aging out of care. North End Community Renewal Corporation and FearlessR2W (an Indigenous organization dedicated to keeping families together and children out of care) will provide property management and individualized, ongoing wraparound support to the tenants.
  • Employment: More than 35 people with barriers to employment, mainly Indigenous people, but also newcomers to Canada, people with disabilities, previous incarceration and other barriers, will be employed by Purpose Construction. 
  • Timeline: Construction to begin in December 2021 with the goal of completing training and achieving occupancy by September 2022. 

Orillia:

  • Housing: Forty residential units, including 24+ units made available at affordable rates, specifically for women and children fleeing domestic violence, in cooperation with the Lighthouse and Redwood Park Communities. 
  • Employment: More than 70 people with barriers to employment will gain hands-on training and employment opportunities by finishing units and providing general labour support through the Community Builders Construction Training Program. 
  • Timeline: Construction to begin in November 2022 and first tenant occupancy by October 2023. 

Sudbury: 

  • Housing: Renovation of five vacant single-family houses into 10+ units of affordable housing, with supports for 25+ individuals and families experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness.
  • Employment: Projects will help launch a new social enterprise contractor, Community Builders North. Through the renovation of these five properties, 30+ people with barriers to employment, mainly youth under 25, many of whom are Indigenous, will receive hands-on training, wraparound support, and connection to local employers.
  • Timeline: Construction to begin in December 2021 with the goal of completing training and achieving occupancy at the first property by August 2022, and achieving occupancy at the fifth property by December 2024.
MTWB - Raising the Roof

What do you most want people to know about Raising the Roof? 

That we are focused on prevention and long-term solutions for homelessness. Our famous Toque Campaign supports local homelessness prevention initiatives and our national Reside program.

How can people help or contribute to Raising the Roof’s mission?

Buy a toque! They are sold on our website at www.raisingtheroof.org or in Home Depot stores starting in November. Alternatively, you can help identify vacant properties that would be suitable for affordable housing or connect us with local potential partners. 

You could also organize a toque sales event, connect us with potential places to sell toques in your community, or participate in a Community Build Day. Community Build Days are fun team-building volunteer days that help us raise funds for future Reside projects.

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Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver: Mentorship that Empowers

A mentor in a child’s life can not only encourage them to reach their full potential, but also create a positive impact in their community. However, for disadvantaged youth, mentors are not always easy to come by. 

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver draws on the 100-year-old ethos of now-international organization Big Brothers, connecting children and youth with mentors in the Greater Vancouver area. We chatted with Development and Marketing Manager Mandy Wong about Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s history, mission, and goals.

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver

Tell us about Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s mission. 

At Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, our mission is to enable impactful mentoring relationships where children and youth can discover their power and potential, in collaboration with our local communities. Our vision is that all children and youth are empowered to reach their full potential through mentorship.

What inspired your founders to start Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver? 

On July 4, 1903, a Cincinnati businessman named Irvin F. Westheimer started a movement that would grow to affect millions of lives around the world through child and youth mentoring.

When the young professional saw a boy rooting through a garbage can, he took him under his wing and became his “big brother.” He encouraged his friends to do the same with other boys and young men from father-absent homes. Before long, the Big Brothers movement was born.

Fast forward ten years to a growing delinquency rate in Toronto and the need for an innovative solution. Several businessmen became aware of what was happening in the United States to combat the same problem, and after seeing the positive effect the program had for our neighbours to the south, Big Brothers came to Canada.

Four decades later on March 8, 1957, five businessmen met in the boardroom of a bakery at the corner of Boundary and Kingsway for the first meeting of Big Brothers of British Columbia.

With a strong desire to support the children and youth in the Lower Mainland, founding board members Cecil S. Walker and well-known men’s clothier, Murray Goldman, got involved with Big Brothers shortly after the mentoring movement came out west. Goldman was introduced to the idea when one of his clients, former Executive Director Donald Waring, joked that he would agree to buy a suit from him in exchange for his participation.

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver was established in 1978. We now run our strength-based mentoring programs in Burnaby, Delta, Surrey, New Westminster, the North Shore, Richmond, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver. We have a broad service area for a diverse group of individuals. Today, young people who need a mentor come from all walks of life.

Although the Big Brothers movement was born out of a need to combat a growing delinquency rate, our mentoring programs now serve a much broader purpose. The notion of our strength-based mentoring programs remains the same, but the driving force behind the concept has evolved. 

We recognize that the mentor-mentee relationship is a shared, meaningful experience for both the child and the volunteer. Everyday experiences mean big impacts for the child, the volunteer, and the community at large.

What were some of the challenges you encountered? 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of the young people that we support. A breakdown of usual routines, schooling, social opportunities, and many other activities has had a profound effect on so many children, the effects of which we likely won’t fully understand for some time. 

At the same time, health and safety guidelines drastically impacted our ability to deliver most of our programs, with some switching to virtual delivery, while others were postponed. As a result, we faced huge obstacles to provide young people in Greater Vancouver with programming and support, just when they needed it the most. 

Funding for the programs became unpredictable with economical impact around the world, and at one point, we weren’t sure if we would be able to keep our agency going.

Other than volunteers, our agency is in need of funding to maintain our programs so we can serve as many children and young people as we can through mentorship.

What do you consider Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s biggest success? 

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver has been serving local communities for over 40 years. Our teams and mentoring coordinators are trained to serve long-term friendships and provide guidance on mentorship. We believe the knowledge and history we have at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver has led to our success.

What makes your organization unique, and how do you feel Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver makes the world better? 

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver believes that when our children are emotionally, socially, and physically healthy, everyone in the community benefits. With over 40 years of serving Greater Vancouver communities, we have worked with numerous community stakeholders to develop a variety of essential mentorship programs to meet the needs of children and families. 

We believe that by providing a mentor to young lives, we will in turn encourage them to live to their full potential and contribute to a better community’s future. We strive for innovative ways of mentoring that meet the changing needs of our children, families, and communities, while maintaining the highest standards of program delivery.

We are committed to the values of diversity and inclusion. We respect and welcome participation of all individuals. We believe that the diversity of our volunteers, families, and staff allows us to collectively strengthen our organization to intentionally support the communities we serve. 

Every child referred to us comes on the basis that they will benefit substantially by forming a continuing bond with a caring mentor. Many children we serve are from low income, single parent households or from struggling families lacking positive role models. 

The presence of a reliable, caring mentor provides support for the families as well as their children, and in many cases, connects the family with opportunities they would not otherwise have. 

In addition, children from new immigrant and refugee families experience considerable isolation and stress due to cultural issues and limited language skills. 

Our strength-based mentoring programs build the self-confidence and capacities of children so that they can develop healthy lifestyles, make informed and responsible decisions, and participate to the greatest extent possible in the social and economic fabric of society.

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver

Tell us about your organization’s goals. 

Every year, we aim to serve as many children and young people as we can through our mentorship programs. We hope to serve over 1,000 mentees in our next fiscal year.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share, and what do you most want people to know about Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver? 

The Big Brother mentoring program is what we’re most well known for at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, and we are always in need of Big Brother volunteers. The program provides boys with a role model and a friend to talk to and share the experiences of growing up with. 

Through regular outings of two to four hours, once a week, for a minimum of one year, a friendship is developed between the Big and Little Brother that is built on trust, and common interests and values. 

Furthermore, the result is an impactful experience for both the mentor and the mentee. We’re currently offering this program virtually through Zoom, or in-person, subject to provincial social guidelines. Other than the Big Brother program, we also have other programs that support children and youth in Greater Vancouver communities. We are always in constant need for volunteers/Big Buddies to support our site-based programs and opportunities, which can be found at https://www.bigbrothersvancouver.com/our-programs/

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver

How can people help or contribute to Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver‘s mission? 

If you would like to support Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, consider volunteering to become a mentor or donate to support our mentorship programs. We have a waiting list of mentees waiting to be watched with a Big Brother or Big Buddy – with your help, we would be able to make that wait time even shorter. In some areas of Vancouver, children and young people are waiting two to three years to be matched with a mentor.

If you would like to volunteer and learn about our programs, please visit our website at https://www.bigbrothersvancouver.com/our-programs/

To donate and support our mentorship programs, please visit us at https://www.bigbrothersvancouver.com/donate-now/

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How Companies Can Harness the Power of Technology and Social Media to do Good

Whether you’re tackling ever-evolving climate crises, social justice issues, or animal welfare concerns, it can be challenging to know how to effectively utilize technology on your company’s journey to making the world better. Luckily, it’s at your fingertips with the click of a button (literally). Here’s how to harness the power of technology and social media to do good.

In life, there are the dreamers and the doers. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance your company aims to be the latter. But perhaps you’re wondering: how can we really make a difference? In our ever-evolving world of climate crises, social justice issues, and animal welfare concerns, it can be challenging to know where to start or how to make actionable change.

Luckily, doing good can be achievable with the click of a button — literally. Social media and technology are two powerful ways to enable your company to authentically live its values and make a difference. 

Participate in Community-Led Movements Online

When it comes to activism, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Unless your cause is smaller and unknown, there’s a good chance community members have already begun a movement, and trying to do “your own thing” can not only be perceived as self-serving but can actually hurt the reach of existing movements. 

Instead, get involved in community-led movements that matter to your organization, and spread the word by posting on your social media channels and using the existing hashtags. Some ongoing movements include Black Lives Matter, Stop AAPI Hate, and #MeToo. 

Just remember: as with any cause marketing, ensure you do it in a meaningful, actionable, and non-performative way. Show genuine support for causes that matter to your organization, encourage your audience to participate, and contribute to the conversation where appropriate.

A company that often gets involved in movements on their social platforms is ice cream retailer Ben & Jerry’s. They have created multiple Instagram posts to support the Black Lives Matter movement and continue to show their support for new movements on a frequent basis. 

Use Grassroots Marketing & Technology to Amplify Specific Causes

Through social media, community movements can grow into global movements. Grassroots marketing, or creating inspirational and highly shareable content targeted to a very specific niche or locale, is a great way to raise awareness of specialized causes that matter to your organization. Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge? This is a classic example of successful grassroots marketing.

Social media is a fantastic medium for grassroots marketing due to the fact that it’s easy to share content. To be successful with a grassroots social media campaign, you’ll want to keep the target audience tight, either psychographically or geographically; tell a story that resonates and inspires; and, most importantly, encourage people to share your content.

Alternatively, if your organization is built on particular values, social media posts can be a way to educate your audience about very specific issues. Canadian clothing retailer tentree uses social media to bring to light a variety of environmental issues that matter to them. For example, they use Instagram to highlight the environmental impacts of the dyeing process, the importance of protecting coral reefs,  and the benefits of the circular economy.

Innovative use of technology is another way to help amplify and raise awareness of important causes. For example, National Geographic ​​used Meta Spark to show Instagram users what the world will feel like in 2070, while a VR experience called Greenland Melting shows the unfortunate effect of warm ocean waters on glaciers in Greenland. 

Take a Stand on Causes That Matter to You 

According to Sprout Social’s #BrandsGetReal: Brands Creating Change in the Conscious Consumer Era Report, based on their 2019 survey, 70% of consumers believe it’s important for brands to take a public stand on social and political issues and 66% believe brands should do so because they can create real change. And social media is a great place to publicly show your stance and advocate for real change, especially if it’s something that is relevant to your organization. 

For example, Nike is a brand for athletes, many of whom are Black people who experience discrimination and police brutality, particularly in the United States where Nike is headquartered. Knowing they’d receive backlash for supporting Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee in protest at a football game in 2016, they made him the face of a global campaign in 2018. 

Amplify Advocates and Activists Within Your Community 

When it comes to doing good, letting others take the lead is, sometimes, the best path to take. There are many notable organizations and activists who are on the front lines of causes and supporting them helps amplify their important work. 

Follow relevant organizations and activists on social media, reshare their content, and reach out to partner with them for initiatives, such as an Instagram takeover, contest, or content swap. Similar to participating in community-led movements, you’ll want to ensure you’re doing this in a meaningful and non-performative way.
Patagonia, a B Corp–certified outdoor clothing retailer, often shares content from like-minded creators and activists in the outdoor space. For example, they featured a non-binary climber who advocates for a more supportive climbing community, and their Run To film series, promoted on Instagram, features runners who are advocating for issues, such as saving a watershed and honouring Indigenous scientists, past and present. 

Make Goals for Sustainable Change 

It’s one thing to have big ideas to do good, but it’s another thing to execute them. Social media is a great opportunity to hold yourself accountable to your goals. 

You’ll want to post about your goal and update your audience when you reach certain benchmarks. For example, Glossier, a US-based beauty company, opted not to use a vague post about “doing better.” Instead, they pledged to donate to various BLM organizations and commit to ongoing change within their company, as shown in an Instagram post. 
But how do you know if you’re getting close to your goal? There are various apps that can help you track your progress, like Strides, Way of Life, and ATracker.

Let Sparx Help You Use Social Media And Technology to Do Good

By engaging with social media in these ways, companies gain the power to amplify their own purpose-driven initiatives, support and boost the visibility of ongoing mission-aligned efforts and changemakers, share impact stories to an ever-growing audience, and drive positive change.

At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better. 

If you’re looking to make an impact using social media and technology but aren’t sure where to start, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. We help purpose driven organizations secure their website, create great content, build experiences to delight their customers, and help grow their business. You can reach us here.