Our Work on Homelessness Continues
We hope your fall is going well. As we continue our work on addressing homelessness in Red Deer, we wanted to provide an update on recent progress and share information with the community.
First, thank you to everyone who attended our June workshop at the Golden Circle. Your participation and feedback on the Red Deer Chamber Homelessness Task Force recommendations were invaluable. Since then, we have continued to engage with the community to better understand the factors shaping how we address homelessness.
We are launching a regular update to the community which is intended to serve as a tool for keeping you informed and gathering input as we work towards solutions for our unhoused community.
You’re receiving this update because you’ve been part of the ongoing dialogue, but we encourage you to share this with others who may be interested. They can subscribe below to receive future updates.
Today, we’d like to provide updates on:
- What You Told Us
- Homeless Foundation Transition Team
- Getting Organized
Thanks for taking the time to review, consider, and share the information outlined for you to review.
What You Told Us
At the conclusion of our June workshop, we sought your input on the Red Deer Chamber Homelessness Task Force’s final report. Your feedback has directly shaped the ongoing efforts of the Homelessness Transition Team. In today’s and subsequent updates we will share your thoughts to each of the questions posed to participants.
Today we start with
What positives do you see in moving to an independent, homeless foundation?
The feedback highlights several advantages of moving to an independent homeless foundation. Key benefits include removing homelessness initiatives from political influence and bureaucratic red tape, allowing for quicker decision-making and more flexibility. The foundation would be able to attract philanthropic funds not available to government agencies, develop a land bank to repurpose unused properties, and implement entrepreneurial ideas to tackle homelessness. Additionally, it would foster greater community involvement and collaboration, free from municipal or provincial directives, and create a more unified, solution-focused approach.
An independent foundation could provide local control, reduce service duplication, and establish stronger relationships with government bodies. It would focus on housing stability, allowing individuals to pursue goals and rise out of poverty. By eliminating political agendas, the foundation would enhance credibility, streamline funding and engagement, and build public confidence in addressing the homeless crisis. Ultimately, the foundation would offer a more transparent, community-centered, and efficient way to respond to homelessness.
The Team
- Lyn Radford, Chair
- Kathy Lacey, Vice Chair
- Art Anastasi
- Bryan Pobishushchy
- Dr. Michael Mulholand
- Gwen Clarke
- Ian Milne
- Jamil Charania
- Kimberley Worthington
- Mark Jones
- Pat Moore
- Ryan Krutzfeldt
- Scott Robinson
- Talitha Klym
- Darcy Mykytyshyn, Project Advisor
Key Dates:
- November 8, 2024: Application for Society Status
- November 19, 2024: Finance Plan Approve and Operations Plan Approved
- November 30, 2024: Call for Permanent Board Member
- January 31, 2025: Foundation Created and Operating, Application to CRA
- February 28, 2025: Transitional Board Retires, New Board begins their Mandate
Committees:
The team began, in earnest, in September by organizing themselves into three committees:
- Structure: Focused on developing the bylaws and objectives to create a new Society under the Alberta Societies Act
- Finance: Focused on building a long-term, sustainable operating model leveraging private, corporate and government funding options
- Operation: Focused on building the Board Nomination Process
Getting Organized
The new Foundation will be established by a temporary Board of Directors consisting of seven members from the current transition team, all of whom have expressed that they will not seek long-term roles. Once the society is formally created and the permanent, volunteer Board of Directors is selected, the transitional board will step down, allowing the new board to begin its mandate.
The transition team recommends that the society adopt a Policy Governance framework focused not on a constituent model but on recruiting board members who are respected community leaders and influencers. These individuals will bring extensive experience in their fields, with a proven record of career and community success. They have a knowledgeable understanding of the homelessness crisis and its complexities and are open to learning and adapting their perspectives through new information and constructive dialogue. A detailed director profile will be provided as part of the call for board members in November.
We are very excited about the progress being made and look forward to engaging with interested parties who are seeking a longer term role on the board of directors who will work towards finding solutions to overcome the homelessness challenges Red Deer is facing.
“Provocative Healthcare Supports for the Homeless”
The work of the homelessness task force, and subsequent transition team is always being premised on being open and transparent with everyone working to support the unhoused in our community back. One of the principles outlined in the homelessness task force is recommendation to create a foundation was to help educate and inform the community about homelessness, its impact, and to engage our citizenry in solutions.
To that end, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Red Deer, the Transition Team is bringing Dale Schattenkirk to Red Deer on November 18th at 2:00pm to share thoughts and research around “Provocative Healthcare Supports for the Homeless”. There are 30 seats available to members of the Homelessness support network who are interested in joining us to hear Dale’s message.
If you are interested in this conversation, please reach out to taskforce@reddeerchamber.com.