PROMOTE & Support
What’s working in your city to house the homeless?
Everyone has the right to be met with compassion, accepted without discrimination, and treated with respect and dignity. We can accomplish more when we work together, sharing knowledge, expertise, and resources – Raising the Roof
WHAT CAN YOU DO in 4 MINuTES?
Support an organization working hard fight homelessness by:
1. Learning about them – see examples here
2. Promoting them on your social media (share our posts)
3. Donating time or resources
Go in Depth:
- Google ‘Homeless shelter in [CITY]’ or ‘Homelessness prevention campaign in [REGION]’ or ‘Women’s shelter in [AREA]’ – OR choose one of ours here
- From your search list, identify one local, regional, or national organization that you’ve never heard of and take a few minutes to learn about two of their KEY SERVICES
- Promote + Support! Follow on social media, or share a post with your network, or consider bringing gently used goods to their site the next time your donation box is full, or take part in their fundraising campaign (eg. buy a toque from Raising the Roof).
…You never know when your knowledge of resources may come in
handy to point someone in need in the right direction!
See our summary summary here
Resources
Raising the Roof – Homelessness Prevention
The Homelessness Hub – How to raise awareness on invisible homelessness
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – Solving Homelessness Starts With Awareness
WHAT?
Approximately 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year. The number of homeless people, and the length of time they spend homeless, continues to rise.
Raising the Roof
GOAL
Let’s raise awareness about the issue of homelessness and educate ourselves on local or national organizations working to address it!
WHO?
Canada’s homeless population is incredibly diverse. The individuals we see on the streets represent less than 20% of the homeless population. As many as 50,000 people make up the “hidden” homeless – individuals who temporarily stay with family or friends because they have nowhere else to go.
Raising the Roof
SOLUTION
Greater awareness of issues root causes and resources will lead to a greater number of voices speaking out for the cause. This leads to more focus on solving the problem.
To move the discussion past education and into advocacy: “We recommend that organizations find people who are currently or formerly homeless to come speak, [host] question and answer session, and bring in local experts to explain what resources are and are not available in specific communities, to discuss what is needed.”
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SUPPORT THESE ORGANIZATIONS
1. Raising the Roof – Homelessness Prevention
2. The Homelessness Hub – How to raise awareness on invisible homelessness
“Homelessness is basically invisible in our community.
How do we get the message out that it really does exist even though we don’t see people sleeping on park benches?”
To move the discussion past education and into advocacy: “We recommend that organizations find people who are currently or formerly homeless to come speak, [host] question and answer session, and bring in local experts to explain what resources are and are not available in specific communities, to discuss what is needed.”