David Howard of Event Group, Canadian Legacy Project, and Homes for Heroes joins the podcast this week for a “What Now” edition to discuss a question many Canadians are asking themselves right now - how can we come together to better care for those who stood on guard for Canada?

With Rememberance Day on everyone’s mind right now people across Canada are thinking about our veterans and the sacrifices they’ve made to help make our way of life possible. But as David explains many Canadian veterans come back home to huge challenges re-integrating to civilian life and find themselves facing homelessness, living rough, or struggling with mental health. This has led to a number of veterans needing support that either isn’t offered or is underfunded by VAC.

The issue of veterans facing homelessness or living rough inspired David to start Homes for Heroes, which is a project that created a village of 20 tiny homes with an on-site counselor and resource centre to help these proud and struggling veterans get back on their feet. The first village opened in Calgary just a year ago with the expectation that the residents would be ready to graduate and regain their independance after a couple years, but it has been so successful that many have already regained their independance in just the first year.

Now, as a proven concept with great success, the program is working with partners such as The Mustard Seed and the Alberta government to expand the program, with plans in place to open a second village in Edmonton. There’s much more in store however, as Homes for Heroes is eyeing potential villages in BC and Ontario too, with plans to eventally expand the program across Canada and help end the issue of veteran homelessness.

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