Homelessness isn’t new in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, but since 2020 it has become a bigger risk for many community members— and while encampments have always existed, they are now much more visible. From wildfires, floods and a global pandemic, residents have been faced with significant challenges to their mental health, economic stability and their cost of living.
How does a community work together to ensure people are given choice and opportunity in their housing? An integrated, layered approach is not just a nice-to-have—it’s essential.
Enter the Centre of Hope.
Their mission is to address homelessness through collaboration and community support systems, to bring about positive change and help people become housed sustainably.
“Our goal is housing—we believe it’s a human right,” says Rosie Keating, executive director at the Centre of Hope. “We are not just a drop-in—we have a goal to end homelessness in whatever way works.”
The Centre offers support across multiple prongs, from a drop-in centre that offers basic needs and access to services, to an eviction prevention program that aims to keep people in their homes, to their street outreach program that meets people where they are at.
In 2021, WBCF funding provided the means for the Centre to get a community outreach van, bringing supports and basic needs right to people on the ground through the Community Grants program.
“The Outreach Van has been something we have tried to get for many years, because we knew it would serve a significant need in the community,” says Rosie. “Anything you can get inside of the drop-in centre, you can get in the van from socks, underwear, water, snacks, to resources and supports for people to access.”
“The van has become a symbol to those who are experiencing homelessness. They see it and they can come to us, as opposed to us seeking them out. It’s created more open communication with those who don’t come into the centre,” she says.
The van is operated by the Centre’s outreach coordinator, who is also trained in housing assessments, something she can do right on the streets. Through this centralized process, she has connected more than 75 people to centralized housing supports, helping them become successfully housed and out of the encampments.
“We have seen an increase in homelessness of people who have lost jobs, experienced a family breakdown, as well as a significant Indigenous population struggling with intergenerational trauma,” says Rosie. “Eviction prevention is one of our greatest assets, because it’s mitigating the potential of families or individuals becoming homeless.”
“Funding like the WBCF Community Grants is another piece of providing wrap-around service to individuals—the van brings us to them, gets us connected to them and is a vital part of our operations.”
Learn more about the Centre of Hope. Explore WBCF Community Grants, which will open for proposals later in 2025.
