Homes First and Chartwell

What does corporate social responsibility mean to Chartwell?
It is more than just being active in the community or lending support for a special event. It is about truly making a substantial difference in our society. For Chartwell, we chose to become involved with Homes First Society and Foundation to help care for our city’s homeless.


What is Homes First Foundation?
The Homes First Foundation and Homes First Society represent 2 dedicated organizations aligned in the mission of working together – the Society as the provider of supportive, affordable housing for the homeless with a 20-year history of success – the Foundation, to support the Society in raising funds for additional housing and tenant support services and in raising awareness of innovative solutions to homelessness. These organizations share a single vision – working together to ‘break the cycle of homelessness’ for our city’s most disadvantaged.


How Chartwell got involved
After a five year presence on the Homes First Society Board, Chartwell President and CEO, Jeff Smith initiated an advisory board, to promote fundraising and to bring thought leadership and innovation to the nonprofit organization by inviting a number of Toronto's business leaders to the table to address issues and challenges faced in the homeless crisis in Toronto. Originally, named Rebuilding with Respect, the advisory created a formal foundation and has launched a campaign to develop additional housing facilities and tenant support services.


Uniting the business community to help the homeless
In March 2003, the Homes First Foundation was born. Jeff Smith, Chair, Homes First Foundation, believes “bringing Toronto’s business leaders together to help solve this complex social problem is new. We are determined to raise the visibility, raise funds and bring innovative solutions to assist the Homes First Society in its supportive housing efforts. We would also like to see all non-profit organizations in the city that are focused on this issue, come together and begin to optimize the work that is being done. This is a big challenge, and one we are determined to make strides in.”


Homes First Today
Today, the Homes First Foundation is led by 15 corporate executives – each of whom is educated in the causes, issues and solutions for homelessness. Each of whom brings their time and talent and their corporate resources to the support of the Homes First Society. As a team we do not believe that homelessness is an issue so complex as to not have a viable continuum of solutions that restore hope and pride one person at a time. We believe in learning and applying the successes of others and being innovative.


Private business stepping up to the challenge
The Foundation represents private industry stepping up to the plate and applying business skills to this issue in our community. Government and agencies cannot solve this complex and growing crisis on its own. We want to help. As one of our esteemed journalists said in response to the formation of the Foundation “It is no longer fashionable for business to turn away from homelessness”.


A different kind of annual fundraiser
The inaugural fundraising event, Coldest Night was hosted in January 2004 and was a resounding success. As a result, this has become an annual event each January and has grown to include the Coldest Day. The Coldest Day is a symposium where a growing number of community and private sector leaders from Canada and the United States who have been successful addressing many of the homelessness issues in their cities come together to share their experiences, success models and success stories to aid in making a difference in Toronto.


Helping to end the cycle of homelessness
Chartwell was a bronze sponsor of the Coldest Night fundraising inaugural event. We are proud to continue supporting the Homes First Foundation as a Coldest Night Gold Sponsor since 2005.

Click here to learn more about The Coldest Day & Night fundraising events.


What lies on the road ahead?
Homes First Foundation and Homes First Society are looking at a bright future. People have been listening to what we have to say and this unique band of non-profit and business people is raising awareness and visibility of this issue. The homeless issue is not a local one, so we believe that Homes First Foundation has an opportunity to help the homeless across Canada and to teach more of the private sector to get involved. It won’t be an easy task, but nothing worth doing has ever been easy.


Find out More
For more information about the Homes First Foundation, visit their website at: www.homesfirst.on.ca or call (416) 395.0946