Media Advisory: Plan to prevent and end youth homelessness in Calgary gets a refresh

Homeless youth in Calgary receive greater support and success through collective impact and community collaboration


CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - May 4, 2017) - Members of Calgary's Youth Homeless-Serving System of Care will be gathering May 5 to launch the 2017 refresh of the Calgary Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness. This new plan focuses on a housing-first approach, and identifies four main priorities with prevention as the most critical. Today, Government, sector leaders, Indigenous representatives and front-line workers will collaborate to prioritize and examine new objectives and improved approaches to supporting and prioritizing our city's most vulnerable youth.

WHO: Hon. Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community & Social Services, GoA
David French, Director of Policy & Planning, A Way Home
Dr. Alina Turner, Turner Strategies
Jeff Dyer, CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
Ange Neil, Youth advocate
WHAT: There will be the reveal and re-launch of the Calgary Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness - 2017 Refresh. Sector leaders and youth advocates will speak to the importance of this plan for our city, and will highlight the need for a community and collective impact approach to serve the youth in our city who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Immediately following the official reveal, members from all levels of the youth-serving community will engage in a strategic collaboration to determine how we will collectively work together to build more futures for Calgary's most vulnerable youth.
WHEN: Friday, May 5th, 2017
7:30 am - 2:00 pm
8:15 - 9:30 Official Release of 2017 Refresh
9:30-10:00 Media Scrum
(Hon. Irfan Sabir available: 9:15-9:30)
10:00 - 2:00pm Working Groups
WHERE: Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown
St. Louis Banquet Room
Suite A - 711 4th St. S.E.
Calgary, AB
HASHTAGS: #IHeartHomeYYC
#YouthRefresh2017

Agenda

7:30am Event Start. Registration.
8:30 Welcome & Opening Prayer:
Speaker: Soraya Saliba, E.D., McMan Youth Family & Community Services
Elder: Casey Eaglespeaker, Blood Nation
8:45 Speaker: Hon. Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community & Social Services
9:00 Speaker: David French, Director of Policy & Planning, A Way Home
9:15 Overview of the Refreshed Plan:
Speaker: Dr. Alina Turner, Turner Strategies
9:30-10:00 Media Scrum
10:00 Bringing A Youth Lens to the Youth Plan:
Speaker: Ange Neil, Youth Advocate
10:15 Intro to working sessions
10:20 Working Session 1: Prevention
10:45 Working Session 2: Leadership & Engagement
11:10 Working Session 3: Systems
11:35 Working Session 4: Housing
12:00pm Networking Lunch
12:35 Reveal of Priorities and Objectives, Assessing Progress, Governance Implementation:
Speaker: Dr. Alina Turner, Turner Strategies
1:00 Closing Remarks:
Speaker: Jeff Dyer, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary.

Media are invited.

There will be interview and photo opportunities during the media scrum from 9:30-10:00 am.

The Hon. Irfan Sabir will be available for interview and photo opportunities from 9:15-9:30am.

About I Heart Home

The I Heart Home initiative is a catalyst and enabler for Calgary's Homeless-Serving System of Care which helps to inspire and coordinate our Homeless-serving agencies and optimize client success. Through mobilization of collective impact, I Heart Home fosters and empowers homeless-serving agencies, the private sector, government partners, local communities, the faith community, other foundations and all Calgarians in our shared vision of ending homelessness in our city. For more information, visit ihearthomeyyc.com.

Contact Information:

Media Inquiries
Calgary Homeless Foundation
Joel Sinclair
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Media Line: 403.615.7607
joels@calgaryhomeless.com