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Homes For Heroes Foundation

CEO Brad Field on the mission to end Veteran homelessness in Canada

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CEO Brad Field. Photo by BOOKSTRUCKER.

It is perhaps one of the most selfless acts to serve one’s country in the armed forces. To choose to stand in defense of fellow citizens, to be in harm’s way, to be the help when disaster strikes, to keep the peace around the world – takes a certain type of bravery, altruism and grit that most of us just don’t have. It is an act worthy of lifelong credit and praise.

According to the 2021 Census, there are 97,625 individuals serving in the Canadian Armed Forces (the Army, Navy and Air Force) today. These men and women fulfill many roles – from combat operations to health care to hospitality and support to safety and emergency – that ensure our country has a functioning armed forces, which in turn protects and supports Canadians and global citizens alike.

It’s not an easy life, and doesn’t always get easier upon retirement. There are approximately 461,240 Canadian Veterans in our country and sadly, many do not enjoy the quality of life they deserve. In fact, Veterans are twice as likely as non-Veterans to experience homelessness. Shockingly, there are as many as 10,000 homeless Veterans living on the streets in Canada.

A travesty, to say the least, that many who serve our country end up with nothing afterwards.

This is why the Homes For Heroes Foundation was developed: to respond to the growing number of military Veterans who are facing crisis as they return to civilian life and find themselves on the path to homelessness. The registered charity builds tiny home communities with wraparound social support services across the country to house Canadian military Veterans.

“Our mission is to end Veteran homelessness in Canada,” says Brad Field, president and CEO. “There is a great need. These men and women have served their country and sometimes years or even decades later, they run into a rough patch. Whether it’s financial insecurity, addiction issues or mental health challenges. Our goal is to successfully transition our Veterans from homelessness, through our program and then onto a successful, independent civilian life.”

Launched in 2018, Homes For Heroes Foundation’s first village was built in Calgary – called the ATCO Veterans Village Calgary – with 15 individual units. In 2021, a second 20-unit village was opened in Edmonton, and last year a third village was opened in Kingston with another 20 units.

“We’re scheduled to start construction on a village in Winnipeg in 2025,” Field says. “And we have a bunch of other cities in southern Ontario – London, Hamilton, Toronto – that are all vying to have a village. There’s also Halifax on the east coast. Our goal is to build in most major centres across Canada where there is a need for our program.”

Fully furnished individual units (some of which are accessible) are about 300 square feet and include a sitting area, family room, kitchen and washroom. Villages have a community laundry, an amenity/resource centre, community gardens, peer-to-peer support programs, professionally maintained grounds, and activity centres with bocce ball and horseshoe pits. “The community gardens are such a hit,” Field marvels. “Our Veterans love to grow vegetables!”

Classified as supportive housing, Veterans come to the Foundation when they are at risk of being homeless or are homeless. “We bring them in and provide a home for them which is designed for independent living,” Field explains. “We have two onsite case/social workers that work through all the issues the Veteran might face. Anything from job security, financial security, addiction issues, social interaction issues, PTSD. We provide all the social services.”

Veterans are connected to Homes For Heroes Foundation through other agencies like the food banks or homeless shelters. Veterans Affairs Canada also refers in-need individuals to the Foundation.

“It’s the Veteran community as a whole,” Field notes. “All the resources and agencies, both government, private and not-for-profit. Everybody knows everybody, so they exchange and collaborate information. We get referrals from all the other agencies.”

Both male and female Veterans live in the villages, and Field points out that while 16 per cent of the Veteran community is female, they are twice as likely to be homeless than their male counterparts.

“Right now we have about 11 per cent female in our villages,” he says, “and we also have an Indigenous component. We are 10 per cent Indigenous Veterans.” The average age of residents is around 50, and ranges anywhere from 25 to 80 years old.

“It really depends on the jurisdiction,” Field explains. “We find that in Calgary, for example, where we haven’t had an active military base for some time, the age demographic is a bit higher. In a city like Kingston, on the other hand, where there are multiple active bases in the area, the age range is lower.”

Homes For Heroes Foundation’s goal is to have a Veteran prepared for independent, successful civilian life after 12 months of living in a village, though there’s no hard and fast rule. “We work at the Veteran’s own pace, it is their journey, we’re just here to support,” Field says. “Some can transition quicker, in six to eight months. Others have lived with us upwards of two years. The Veteran stays in our village until they feel ready and we have helped them secure permanent housing.”

Veterans pay a nominal $600 per month. “We are trying to build independence, so we would be doing a disservice by not charging anything. Because once they transition into civilian life, they will know what it’s like to pay rent or a utility bill.” The $600 includes all the case worker and support services. A code of conduct is also in place which prohibits drug use and requires certain levels of maintenance of units.

Waitlists to move into the villages come and go, depending on the need. At times, the wait has been upwards of a couple months. Currently, there is none. “But vacancies fill up very quickly,” Field notes.

Thus far, 115 Veterans have cycled through the foundation’s program, comprising so many success stories. “There just isn’t a place like this,” says Joel, a former resident. “Whoever came up with this, you’re going in the right direction. I hope it grows, and that it becomes recognized in the military community as ‘Ok, I have somewhere to go if something happens’.” 

“Even before I moved in here, the staff helped me get in touch with Veterans Affairs, get some stuff sorted out, start the claims that I’d never even considered applying for,” says Jeremy, who was living out of his car before he became a resident. “I learned a lot living here about myself, about the community itself. The pleasure was all mine.”

To build a village requires land, by far the biggest challenge in the build process. The land must be close to services, including groceries, medical, dental and public transportation. “Most of our Veterans don’t have vehicles or transportation of their own,” Field says, “so it needs to be close to all the services they need.”

Funding for a village comes from many sources. “In order for our villages to work, we have to have all three levels of government involved,” Field explains. “So the city, typically, is the jurisdiction that we work with to find land. Either affordable land or no cost land.”

“And then the provincial government usually jumps in and helps with land and/or affordable housing grants. The federal government involves CMHC, which does all our grant money and low cost loans for building the village. And Veterans Affairs Canada will look at operational funding too.”

Typically, all three levels of government account for about 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of building a village. “The remaining funds for building come from the private sector or corporate donations,” Field says. “On the operational side, funding is typically more like 20 per cent government and 80 per cent private sector and corporate donations.”

Corporate sponsors include BMO, The Brick, which provides all the furnishings for the units, and Carpet One, which supplies all the paint and flooring for the units. ATCO is another important corporate sponsor that was instrumental to the first two villages.

The CPKC Veteran Morale and Well-Being Fund also provides direct financial support to help resident Veterans with essential expenses such as medical supplies and fees, prescriptions, transportation, employment training and replacement identification. “We also have a small fundraising team that works very hard,” Field adds.

Once the land is acquired and the funds are raised, a village can be built in 12 months. A national program is currently being developed. “That’s one of my mandates,” Field explains. “We’re growing at such a fast pace, but find that every time we build a village in a new city, we have to start the conversation over again. So we want to develop a national program where we’ve got our building partners in place so we can make one or two calls and build the next village without having to reinvent the wheel.”

Having joined the Foundation a year and a half ago, Field applauds the team he works with. “When you’re working with a vulnerable population, from the outside it can look like everything we’re doing is positive and nothing but success stories,” he explains. “But in actual fact, not every day is blue skies and sunshine. There are some tough days and our team are the ones that put in those painful days. One day they can be holding the hands of a Veteran who is really struggling, and then the next day they’re getting a hug from a Veteran saying we saved their life. It’s peaks and valleys, an emotional rollercoaster. Our team is second to none.”

It is also supported by a board of directors and Honorary Patrons the 28th Governor General of Canada David Johnston and his wife Sharon, as well as a National Advisory Board comprising Commander Chris Hadfield and General (retired) Walt Natynczyk. Property Brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott are spokespeople for the Foundation.

“Canada is one of the best countries in the world for supporting its Veterans,” Field reflects, “but there’s still lots of work to be done, a lot of room for improvement. Honouring these men and women that have served their country and making sure they’re taken care of is, for me, such a great honour. We love what we do.”

For more information or to support Homes For Heroes Foundation, visit homesforheroesfoundation.ca.

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