About Us
Our History
Homeless Awareness Calgary originally began as a week of activities designed to raise the public’s understanding and awareness of the issues related to homelessness. A 1994 meeting between a handful of committed Calgary agencies gave birth to the first Homeless Awareness Week. Six local organizations participated in the first Homeless Awareness Week in May of 1995.
Homeless Awareness Week is coordinated by Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee, a group of non-profit, government agencies and community members working with volunteers to raise Calgarians’ awareness and understanding of the issues of homelessness and occurs during the third week in September.
In 2005, HACC received funding to support a full-time position in order to educate Calgarians about homelessness and related social issues on a year round basis.
Our Committees
HACC is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. The rest of the Committee is made up of six different subcommittees, each with their own objectives. Each Subcommittee meets one time per month and works on projects in between meetings.
Board of Directors
An independent Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Directors and Past Chair form the Board of Directors. The purpose of the Board is to give overall direction to HACC. Decisions regarding staffing, administration, process and overall strategy also falls under the responsibilities of the Board.
Our Subcommittees
- Education Committee
At Homeless Awareness Calgary, we believe a well-educated generation of Calgarians is the key to increasing awareness regarding Calgary’s homeless situation. Anyone can get involved: students, professionals, old and young; the time commitment is up to you. Getting involved doesn’t necessarily mean volunteering, but we hope to spark a desire for everyone in Calgary to lend a hand, show up at our events, and understand that the word “homeless” doesn’t fit the definition most of us believe it does.
Our Education Committee is comprised of two subcommittees, Adult Education and Child/Youth Education:
- Adult Education Subcommittee
It’s all in the name - Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee is about awareness. Once people are aware of a problem and understand it, they can act on it. The goal of the Adult Education Subcommittee is to involve Calgarians in special events that inform and inspire. Calgary is a strong community with a lot of pride, and HACC believes that by engaging Calgarians and working together to raise awareness about homelessness in our city, we can change attitudes and initiate change surrounding the rising problem of homelessness. The primary target audience for this subcommittee are post-secondary students.
- Child and Youth Education Subcommittee
The Child and Youth Education Committee focuses on building an understanding of the complexities of homelessness within the Calgary Education System, with the hope that a caring and responsive public will emerge. The Education Committee is devoted to teaching our City’s children and youth about homelessness by accelerating our education process as a community. The goals for this committee are to prepare and present materials to school aged children and youth about the issues surrounding homelessness.
- Special Events Subcommittee
The Special Events is responsible for coordinating and implementing events throughout the year. This subcommittee is divided into two other subcommittees – the Launch Committee and the Street Survivor Committee.
- Launch Subcommittee
The Launch Subcommittee is responsible for coordinating and implementing Homeless Awareness Week held annually the third week in September.
- Street Survivor Subcommittee
This subcommittee is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing HACC’s Street Survivor event throughout the year. Street Survivor is a unique opportunity for Calgarians to get a glimpse of the realities faced by people experiencing homelessness in our City through a safe, supported experience.
- Public Relations Subcommittee
The Public Relations Subcommittee is responsible for promotions of Homeless Awareness Calgary Committee and all events supported by the committee, including media relations and video production.
- Evaluations Subcommittee
In order to become a “best practice” organization, the Evaluation Subcommittee creates, implements, and reviews tools to indicate the impact of HACC programs.
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