Do you have a friend or acquaintance who has experienced homelessness? Chances are you might. According to a recent poll by Nanos Research, 36% of Canadians have been homeless themselves or know someone who has been homeless. It’s a staggering statistic about a problem that affects Canadian communities big and small.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the unacceptable vulnerability of our community members experiencing homelessness like never before. In recognition of this, CREA’s second annual REALTORS Care® Week—scheduled to take place November 23-27, 2020—will focus on the issue of homelessness and explore what REALTORS® can do to help ensure all Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call home.
While our abilities to engage in hands-on volunteer service are limited this year, the pandemic can’t stop the REALTOR® community from learning and raising awareness about homelessness, and advocating for policies and investments that support efforts to end and prevent it in our country for good.
We’re encouraging all REALTORS® to register to attend our free three-hour virtual conference on the topic of homelessness. It’s scheduled to take place Tuesday, November 24, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. (Please note: The virtual conference will be presented in real-time in English only, but we will be making a recording with French subtitles available to the REALTOR® community before the end of REALTORS Care® Week.)
The speaker line-up for our virtual conference features REALTORS® and experts on homelessness, including:
- Jesse Thistle, best-selling author and Indigenous homelessness scholar;
- Michael Braithwaite, CEO of Blue Door;
- Terrilee Kelford, Co-Chair of the National Alliance to End Rural Remote Homelessness;
- Al Wiebe, Co-Chair of the Canadian Lived Experience Leadership Network; and
- Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Click here to access the full program and get your name on the attendee list.
To learn more about REALTORS Care® Week 2020, please visit REALTORSCareWeek.ca and watch for #REALTORSCareWeek updates on our social media channels.
