Join us for this inspiring episode of our podcast as we sit down with Earl Thiessen, Executive Director of Oxford House in Calgary, Alberta. Earl shares his journey of personal recovery from addiction and how it led him to work and eventually lead the team at Oxford House.

This week Dr. Louis Francescutti joins us on the podcast to talk about the amazing new program he’s spearheading in Edmonton, Alberta, the Bridge Healing Transitional Accommodation Program, also known as Asamina Kochi, which means “to try again” in Cree. This program provides transitional housing for people in need leaving the ER. We talk about why there was a need for this, how it came together, and the hopes for it to be scaled in the future.

This week, we are joined by a very special guest, Blue Door’s very own Emma Wood. Emma works within Blue Door as a Resource Development Manager and during the COVID-19 pandemic, she started a food security organization called The Good Food Impact. Tune in to this week’s episode to listen to how Emma started this organization, the plans she has for its future, and more on the connection between housing and food security!

Is ending homelessness nationally possible? The answer is yes, and the proof is Finland. Juha Kahila from the Y-Foundation in Finland joins us this week on the podcast to talk about the strategy that has brought his country international acclaim for its approach to preventing and ending homelessness. We talk about the how, the what, and what’s next. Don’t miss it!

This week, Sheldon Pollett and Sherri Payne from Choices for Youth join us to talk about the groundbreaking new Employability Support Stability Pilot Program⁠—an innovative program designed to remove barriers to employment and help young people transition away from social assistance. They’ll share the inspiring story behind the program, provide updates on its progress, and discuss their vision for the future. You don’t want to miss it!

This week, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, Tim Richter, joins us to discuss CAEH’s new proposal for a Homelessness Prevention and Housing Benefit⁠—a benefit that will provide immediate assistance for up to 435,000 people who are at risk of homelessness⁠. Learn more about how you and your community can be a part of this bold new initiative.

This week, we’re joined by Joshua Barndt, the Executive Director of The Neighbourhood Land Trust and the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust. Joshua shares how he and his team built up their impactful Community Land Trusts, and how others can start or build up theirs.

This week, we’re joined by Samantha Lobb, the Chair of the Youth Council for York Region’s Youth Homelessness Prevention and Housing Stabilization Strategy to discuss why it’s critical to have voices of youth at the table, leading the work on preventing youth homelessness, what it means to meaningfully engage with youth, and more!

This week, we’re joined by Victoria Barclay, an Action Researcher at Women Transforming Cities and a master’s student in the Department of Sociology at UBC to discuss her current research exploring how to improve access to housing for people fleeing gender-based violence, focusing on Indigenous, Black, and racialized women.

This week, we’re joined by Angela Schleihauf, the Senior Analyst on the Housing Supply Challenge team in CMHC’s Innovation and Partnerships division. Angela joins us to talk about the recently launched, fourth round of the Housing Supply Challenge: Building for the Future. Tune in to learn more about what the hopes are for the next iteration of this challenge and how you can apply to get involved!

Thank you CMHC for sponsoring this week’s podcast.