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Today marks one year at the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) for CEO Diana Krecsy. Diana joined the Calgary Homeless Foundation as President and CEO in May 2014. Prior to working at CHF, she was the CEO of the Calgary Drug Treatment Court Society (CDTCS) from 2011-2013 and was instrumental in making sustainable changes that benefited vulnerable Calgarians. From 2005 to 2011 she was the CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT and Nunavut. Before her years of leadership experience, Diana was a tenured nurse educator at Mount Royal University for 12 years and has practiced nursing in Alberta for over 14 years.

Here’s what Diana had to say about her past year with the Calgary Homeless Foundation:

Q: Tell us about this past year. What has it been like for you? What are you excited about?

It’s been a motivating year. I’ve learned a lot. It’s been so inspiring to see this caliber of people, working in this sector. I’ve visited multiple agencies and there is a tremendous amount of caring and competency in this city. Calgarians should be proud.

Q: What inspired you to join the Calgary Homeless Foundation?

I wanted to make an impact at a systems level. I wanted to help systems change. As a practicing nurse for 30 years I worked in the system. Eventually, I realized that to make the kind of impact that is going to be sustainable across generations, I had to work at a systems level and so I left my tenured position to pursue that. It’s led me here. I came here because it’s a huge organization with a big job. Everything we do is about these people whose lives can be better. My passion is in helping Calgarians see those experiencing homelessness for what they truly are. Real people. People whose quality of life will improve through our collective vision of ending homelessness.

Q: What were you focusing on this past year and what are you focusing on for this coming one?

The focus this past year has been on ensuring we were adding the highest degree of value to the community. It is critical that we value and support  the frontline agencies we partner and work so closely with, to ensure all of us are pushing the needle together to truly serve our clients to the best of our ability, and that meant making some changes. I knew CHF administrative processes had to shift to make it easier for agencies to spend their time focusing on the frontline, with clients. I’m incredibly proud of the frontline agencies. There are amazing frontline staff and agencies in Calgary who have a tremendous amount of talent and competence.

Calgarians were another focus over the past year and will continue to be in the future. Community is the key to truly affecting change and getting the job done.  The idea that we’re going to end homelessness doesn’t belong to one agency. It belongs to every Calgarian…there should be no bystanders in this…ending homelessness is about all of us. Ending homelessness improves the lives of individuals and families experiencing homelessness as well as every community.

Q: The Calgary Homeless Foundation works closely with the RESOLVE campaign as one of its 9 partners. Can you tell us what this partnership has looked like over the past year?

This partnership has been inspiring and has proved that collaboration is the key. The incredible thing about RESOLVE is that it is a unique partnership of agencies that are focused on achieving a goal together. We have done more work together with RESOLVE this year to serve our city’s most vulnerable, including the upcoming launch in June of two new affordable apartment buildings. We’re excited to see what we can create together to reach the goals of Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness.

Q: What has the impact been on you, working this past year at the Calgary Homeless Foundation?

I’ve realized how truly fortunate I am to have been born into a family that gave me security and love. It’s not like that for everyone. Why do some people get lucky when others are born into uncertainty?  I don’t know. But what I do know is that it gives me a responsibility to be there for those who weren’t so fortunate.

Q: What are you most proud of over the past year?

There are so many things I’m proud of, in particular, the people who are so committed in this sector that they invest heart and soul into a shared vision of ending homelessness. They teach me every day the meaning of commitment, compassion and collective leadership. I’m also really proud of the work done to launch Calgary’s Updated Plan and how over 450 people came together to share and learn and grow and deepen our collective impact.

Q: What’s one thing you’ve learned that continually impacts you every day?

Working with so many dedicated and visionary people has taught me the value of teamwork and the power we have when we collectively work towards a goal of ending homelessness.  Their passion and talent ignites my desire to keep pushing towards our goal and to keep building lasting and sustainable social change.

By Rachel Campbell

In 2013, the Calgary Homeless Foundation received funding through the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund to explore issues related to human rights within the homeless community. To investigate the  dynamic and multi-faceted issue of both homelessness and human rights, CHF initiated a 2-year participatory action research project to identify areas of concern within the homeless community related to issues of discrimination  and human rights – particularly related to service access – as well as assess the level of awareness and appropriateness of information related to issues of human rights, service access and appeal/grievance processes. Critical to the initiation of this work was engagement and collaboration with the Client Action Committee.

Many sectors were consulted as part of the project, including police services, bylaw services, health services, shelter providers, outreach teams, lawyers and law students, and Aboriginal service providers. Most importantly, the Client Action Committee (CAC), a group of clients with lived experience of homelessness facilitated by CHF for the last 3 years, was integral in providing client perspective on the project. A core group of 9 clients helped to organize focus groups and interviews of people experiencing homelessness to share their stories and bring to light what rights were most often being violated. Through this process, over 100 clients were consulted. Many of the items in the charter were included as a result of actual experiences of real people. It has been incredible to see the pride the members of the client committee rightfully have in the work they’ve done on this project. They are empowered to stand up for not only their own rights, but the rights of others experiencing homelessness.

An exciting part of the process of developing the charter was the creation of the documentary, “Do you see me?”. This powerful short film increases awareness of the discrimination faced by those experiencing homelessness – often in accessing services and tools that they need to end their homelessness. It poses the question to which the Charter is part one of the answer. Of particular note: the documentary received two Alberta Media Production Industries Association Rosie nominations. One for Best Director, Non-Fiction under 30 minutes, the other, Best Soundtrack for non-fiction under 30 minutes.

The charter pulls together existing rights that are a current part of legislation. It asserts that all citizens of our community – regardless of housing status – are equal in dignity, rights, and responsibility. The Charter is the first of its kind in Canada and is being unveiled in Calgary on June 18. It will be a starting point for discussion about rights and discrimination and how we can all work together to stand up for and promote the rights of those experiencing homelessness. Follow along and participate in the launch from afar using the hashtag #homelessrights.

The next phase of the project will include lots of work strengthening relationships with health, law enforcement, service providers, as well as the community at large – organizing training sessions to start working together to stand up against discrimination on a micro and macro level – both standing up for  community members when we personally witness discrimination and working to end discriminatory policies and practices – and empowering clients to know their rights and what to do if their rights have been violated.

Cameron Bailey is the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s (CHF’s) new Chair of the Board and has served on the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s board since 2010. Cam and his wife Gelaine spent 15 years living overseas and have volunteered numerous times in rural communities in Africa. Some of their most memorable trips to Africa include time spent in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa. Cam has a B. Commerce degree from UBC and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is active with other boards including the Alberta Energy Regulator, the UBC Sauder Business School and Westside King’s Church where he serves as past Chair of the Board of Trustees. Cam also served on the board of the Telus Spark Calgary Science Center from 2010-2015.

Recently, Cam took some time out from his busy volunteer schedule to share his thoughts on ending homelessness, volunteering and his new role as Chair of CHF’s Board of Directors.

Q: What inspired you to begin serving on the CHF board in 2010?

A: When we moved back to Calgary in 2009 after being away from the city for 15 years living overseas, I wanted to re-engage in the community. I spent my first few months back in Calgary  talking to community leaders about what the big leverage points were, and what initiatives were underway that could potentially have the most impact on our city. I kept hearing about the Calgary Homeless Foundation and the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. It became pretty evident that this was one of Calgary’s big, bold, exciting, initiatives and, at the time, quite unique in Canada. I soon joined the board and got immersed in the mission to end homelessness.

Q: You’re retired now and this position is a big commitment. What drives you to volunteer like you do?

A: After several years on the board, I’m even more of a believer in the mission and in the opportunity we have through Calgary’s Plan to End Homelessness. After serving for the last two years as Vice Chair, and learning a lot from Alan Norris, it seemed like a logical next step to move into the Chair role when Alan announced his intentions to step down and focus his efforts chairing the RESOLVE campaign. I knew that this was an important opportunity to continue to make a difference.

Q: What do you see as the role of the Chair of the Board?

A: The biggest part of the role is to work with the board to support Diana [Krecsy] as President & CEO, and, in turn, support the team at CHF to deliver on the objectives of the Plan. I believe it’s also the responsibility of the Chair, and of the board members more broadly, to keep the focus on delivering against the Plan, to make sure that we’re out in the community, talking to people, supporting this important initiative. We can’t forget that through the excellent work of all the agencies in Calgary’s homelessness serving sector, people’s lives are changed, one at a time. And the clock is ticking. We all feel the sense of urgency to get people off the street and into supportive housing, with the services they need to get back on their feet.

Q: What are your top three priorities as Chair?

A: Our first priority is to support Diana and the management team establish the new Community Council (CC). With the creation of the CC, CHF can refocus on what our original role was intended to be – to serve as the orchestrator of the mission to end homelessness and to be the backbone entity that tracks sector progress towards this goal across the overall system of care. Our second priority is to focus on encouraging more connectivity and collaboration within the homeless serving sector. Because homelessness is a large and complex problem to solve, as a community we will be much more impactful working as a collective whole, sharing resources and capabilities rather than working independently of each other, often without the scale necessary for significant impact, and in some cases even duplicating services and “competing” for clients, staff and funding. And our third priority is to bring us as a Board closer to understanding and appreciating the front line experience and successes that agencies are having in Calgary. Beginning in September, we’re looking at having our board meetings on-site at different agency locations. By being “on-site” we hope to be able to tour the facilities, hear directly from a staff or a client about the work they are doing and invite the agency CEO and board chair to tell us about their strategic direction.

Q: Where do you see CHF in a year to three years?

A: In these next three years, our biggest goal is just driving full steam ahead to achieve the goals of the Plan to End Homelessness. It’s an all hands on deck approach to deliver on the commitments of the Plan. The key to success will be through community ownership of the Plan, hence the priority on getting the Community Council established. Beyond that, as a board we have begun the process of thinking through the role of CHF post 2018. We don’t have those answers yet.

Q: What are some impressions that you’ve taken away from your time in Africa? Are there any parallels you’ve noticed from your volunteer work there to your work here in Calgary?

A: My wife and I have spent a lot of time in Africa, in remote places, getting exposure to people who are the most in need and the most at risk. We’ve had the chance to sit in classrooms in rural schools, and to see the joy on children’s faces as they describe what their dreams are. In many respects, you hear the same career aspirations that you would sitting in a Calgary elementary school classroom – the kids in rural African communities want to grow up to be engineers, doctors, teachers, scientists and nurses. But because of the birth lottery, the kids in Africa don’t have the clear pathways to these careers like our own children do here in Canada. Bright, ambitious young kids in these rural African communities may never have the chance to get through grade school, let alone attend a college or university. It’s wasted talent, and an incredible amount of untapped human potential. Progress in being made, but the pace is frustratingly slow. Again, in trying to solve a large and complex problem, scale is important. Large, well run organisations like World Vision do great work, and have significant impact, by working at the community level, empowering a whole village to move out of poverty and become self sustaining. Here in Calgary, in this city of immense wealth, we take pride in working together as community to look after our own, to ensure nobody is left behind. And, in parallel, as a community, we can extend a helping hand beyond our city borders to help those in need elsewhere, to make the world a better and safer place for those less fortunate. The Plan to End Homelessness is one important aspect of our broader obligations.