Calgary homeless outreach team searches for new HQ as building faces closure
Global News
The BeTheChangeYYC street outreach group says its current building is being closed by the City of Calgary, forcing the organization to search for a new headquarters.
Chaz Smith has endured physical and verbal abuse, as well as countless hours in frigid temperatures helping the homeless, but it’s a recent blow dealt by the City of Calgary that he’s having a hard time shaking off.
Smith, who was homeless as a teen, is the founder of BeTheChangeYYC street outreach group, which has provided food, water, blankets, hygiene supplies, tents and tarps three nights a week in the city’s downtown for the past decade.
That work is about to face a serious challenge, after the group was informed it needs to vacate its headquarters on Dec. 31.
“The City of Calgary is closing our building, which they have allowed us to operate in over the past five years. This means that we have been actively searching for many months for a new HQ,” Smith said in a recent interview.
“We currently occupy about 2,500 square feet and being able to afford something like that in the private market is not going to happen. We’re going to really have to talk about the scale and our ability to operate in the way that we traditionally have.”
The news affects other grassroots outreach organizations serving people experiencing homelessness in Calgary.
The site was also home to the Safe Communities Opportunity and Resource, as well as the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary. Neither organization responded to a request for interviews.
BeTheChange, located along the city’s light-rail transit line, is accessible, said Smith. On any given night, minutes after emerging from the building, its volunteers attract a crowd of the unhoused.
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