Ending Homelessness is Possible: Lessons in Emergency Shelter Transformation

Join us for a panel discussion on how we can prevent and end homelessness in Canada, moderated by CBC’s Catherine Cullen. We'll hear from Sandra Clarkson, CEO of the Calgary Drop-In - the largest emergency shelter in North America, and Mike Lethby, the Executive Director of The Raft Youth Shelter in Niagara, Ontario, as well as Jennifer McKelvie, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Housing & Infrastructure.

Mike has led the way in reducing emergency shelter use at The Raft by 75% since 2008 through diversion and upstream prevention. As this work has expanded in his community, the Niagara Region was able to close a youth shelter last year due to a lack of demand.
 
Sandra Clarkson is the CEO of the Calgary Drop-In Centre (DI), the largest shelter in North America. Since 2018, the DI has seen an 85% decrease in chronic shelter stays, largely through her leadership in emergency shelter transformation. 

Both of these leaders are proving that reducing homelessness is possible in Canada, but it requires a change in approach. Come hear more and learn about how we can do this in our communities across the country. 

*This event will be held in English.

Viewing Party Initiative:

If you want to host a viewing party in your community - contact the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa at info@endhomelessnessottawa.ca 

A viewing party is where a local leader in the housing and homelessness system hosts community partners, local politicians and decision- makers, to watch the panel discussion, and facilitates a follow-up discussion about how they can support transformation in their local homelessness response system. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube.

The Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa will post the location and time of your event on this invitation page, and provide the script and communications tools to promote your event.

Supported by the RBC Foundation, the Shelter Transformation Network, and A Safe and Affordable Place to Call Home — a partnership grant held by FASS researcher, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly, of Carleton University.

Speakers:

Sandra Clarkson: President & CEO – Calgary Drop-In Centre

Sandra has been with the DI since January 2017 and is committed to ending chronic
homelessness in Calgary through collaboration, transparency, and accountability. 

Under her leadership, the Calgary Drop-In Centre aims to be the most effective—not the largest—homeless shelter, focusing on outcomes that truly change lives rather than scale
Alone.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to community and social impact, Sandra was honored with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award and the Art Smith Leadership Award from the Calgary Homeless Foundation. These accolades underscore her dedication to advancing housing-focused solutions and transforming homeless-serving systems of care.

As co-chair of the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network, Sandra champions the movement toward housing-focused emergency shelters as the national standard for front-
line homeless services across Canada. Her leadership continues to inspire innovation  and collaboration to ensure that homelessness can be ended when we work together toward a shared goal.

Michael Lethby -  Executive Director – Niagara Resource Service for Youth (The RAFT)

Born and raised in Niagara, Mike worked in the local auto sector before graduating Brock University with an honours B.A. in Political Science and History. Mike also holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. 

Mike is an innovative leader working to create a systemic approach to addressing youth issues and youth homelessness in Niagara. He is a principal actor in moving the region’s youth service model from a reactive institutional crisis model to a preventative community model. Mike has overseen the development and implementation of numerous programs to end youth homelessness, through prevention and social connection. These include, Youth Reconnect (School based homelessness prevention), Eternal Routes (Kinship finding and connection), Shelter Diversion, and most recently Family and Natural Supports.

Mike is also a social entrepreneur; Fresh Paint hires youth to learn entry-level skills for the trades while earning a living wage. Mike is guided by the insight that Homelessness is primarily caused by profound social isolation and that “Family is the largest provider of affordable housing in Canada”.

Jennifer McKelvie, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister of Housing & Infrastructure

Jennifer McKelvie was elected as the Member of Parliament for Ajax in Spring 2025.

Prior to joining the federal government, Jennifer was the municipal Councillor for Scarborough-Rouge Park and Deputy Mayor of Toronto. In this capacity she served as Acting Mayor of Toronto for six months in 2023.  While on Toronto Council, Jennifer chaired the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, was a member of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and a member of the Green Municipal Fund Council, supporting municipalities across Canada move towards sustainable practices.

In June, Prime Minister Carney appointed Jennifer as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure. Jennifer looks forward to continuing to champion investment in affordable housing and green infrastructure in her new role.

Before politics, Jennifer was an Environmental Geoscientist. She completed her bachelor and postdoctoral studies at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and managed research partnerships at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Dr. McKelvie’s peer-reviewed research has been widely cited and recognized by numerous national and international awards, including the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship and L’Oréal/UNESCO Women in Science Fellowship.

Moderator:

Catherine Cullen, Host & senior reporter – CBC Radio

Catherine Cullen is the host of The House on CBC Radio, Canada's most popular political affairs program. She's been chasing down politicians on Parliament Hill for over a decade with CBC News. Before that, Catherine learned the ropes of TV and radio reporting in Montreal, covering major stories including the student strikes and Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. She has also worked in Toronto and Vancouver.