This week we’re joined by Shannon Downs, the Executive Director of the Waterloo Community Legal Clinic, and John Fox, Partner at Robins Appleby, to discuss the recent court ruling around encampments in Waterloo and what it means moving forward.  We learn how the ruling came to be in a real-life David vs Goliath story, and hear from both of these amazing experts about what the decision means for encampments across the country.

While government and policy play a huge part in ending homelessness in Canada, so does community involvement. This week on the podcast, we’re joined by Community Advocate, Marj Andre, who has worked tirelessly to rally her community to be a caring, supportive, and inclusive place to live. We talk about Marj’s journey, why it’s so important to have community involved in being a part of the solution to big challenges like housing and health, and why she decided to start a new podcast to create knowledge mobilization and connection. It’s a master class in community engagement you won’t want to miss.

As immigration to Canada continues to grow, so do the challenges to ensure immigrants are set up for success. Our guest this week on the podcast is Allan Reesor-McDowell, the Executive Director of Matthew House in Ottawa, an organization dedicated to providing housing and other supports to the over 20,000 migrants each year that arrive in Ottawa. We talk about the great work they are doing at Matthew House, the need for a national comprehensive plan to support immigrants, and the opportunities immigration presents.

Tune in this week to the On The Way Home podcast as we welcome researcher, political economist, and author, Ricardo Tranjan, who talks about his recently released book, “The Tenant Class”. The book challenges the notion of a “Housing Crisis”, tackles myths about tenants, and discusses the history of bad policy that paved the way for the challenges we face today in housing and homelessness. We discuss all of this and more and you won’t want to miss it!

In 2017, there was a lot of excitement around the announcement of the National Housing Strategy (NHS). Now 6 years later, many feel the plan, while full of potential, has stalled. Jacob Gorenkoff from the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association joins us this week to talk about why the NHS needs a reset and what that might look like. Listen in on this timely conversation.

While many of us have heard of the term “modular construction”, many don’t truly understand what it is. This week we’re joined by Jackie Evans from NRB Modular Construction, who will help us learn what modular housing is, what the benefits of it are, and why the team at NRB has been busier than ever in the past few years. Listen in on the conversation!

After 15 years in the construction industry, Andrew Miller turned his thinking towards a small solution that could address the massive housing crisis facing the country. This week on the podcast we talk about his journey from construction worker to maker of Tiny Homes and Domes, and how they can play a part in affordable housing. We’ll also hear more about how he’s working with Community Builders, an amazing construction social enterprise on scaling up.

This week on the podcast, we speak with Marc and Evan from Card for Change, two self-described average citizens who took it upon themselves to start an organization looking to provide a dignified and respectful way of aiding people experiencing homelessness through the provision of gift cards. Listen to their fascinating journey as they made observations during the pandemic, came up with an idea, and made it happen in a way bigger than either of them expected. It’s an inspiring conversation with two amazing changemakers.

Tune in to this week’s episode of the podcast as we’re joined by Jennefer Laidley and Mohy Tabbara from the Maytree Foundation and co-authors of the Welfare in Canada Report. Jennefer is a Maytree consultant and Mohy leads the organization’s research on social safety and poverty.

We discuss key insights from the ground-breaking national welfare report, including the dire poverty that households across the country are currently experiencing. With their decades of combined experience in public policy and politics, Jennefer and Mohy will then offer up potential solutions to support those most in need.

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.