Wood's Homes Blog

Over the past 10 years, all three levels of government, the private sector, non-profit and health institutions have partnered together in the 10 Year Plan To End Homelessness. As part of this plan, members of Calgary’s youth homeless-serving sector and community met in 2017 to launch the 2018 Refresh of the Calgary Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness.

Recently, after spending several days at a National Child Welfare Conference, I can’t stop thinking about the ways in which harms were done (and continue to be done) to Indigenous children and families. These were carried out all in the name of child protection and devastatingly, I heard how these harms have been linked to ongoing violence against Indigenous women and girls... 

Calgary Pride will be hosting its 28th annual Pride Parade this weekend, the final celebration following a week full of Pride-related activities and events (including the rainbow flag raising at City Hall). Calgary will also be hosting the Dyke and Trans March on Sept. 1, where those who identify as lesbian, gender neutral and transgender march to celebrate, empower and educate society at large.

Ever wonder what the true definition of a great partnership is? At Wood’s Homes, we think we know the answer – a mix of commitment, support, hard work and great chemistry. These are the ingredients we share with our friends at Vermilion Energy, whose staff demonstrated their passion for our work once again at a recent Day of Caring!

Last week, Wood’s Homes held its first-ever Spring Feast and Friendship Dance, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day! 

Leading up to the event, organizers came together to smoke a pipe with Indigenous Elders and ask for prayers for our community. They were dedicated to making sure the celebration properly incorporated Indigenous culture, inviting Treffrey Deerfoot, a Siksika storyteller, to support us in the raising of our Blackfoot Teepee, teach us and guide us as we learned about his culture...

When Jess came into government care, she was only 8 years old. The day she arrived, she was introduced to the first of many social workers who would play an important role in her life. 

On any given day, Wood’s Homes works with 45 foster families, each supported through our network that many describe as “one big family.”

On May 5, 2017, the Calgary Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness – 2017 Refresh was launched. As representatives from numerous not-for-profits gathered together to both celebrate and educate about the plan, we reflected on how far we have come in the push to get young people off the streets on paths to promising futures.

I reached out to Woods Homes in the summer of 2016 to provide free yoga classes to youth accessing their programs. At first, it was just a way for me to complete my practicum hours as a new child and youth yoga instructor. After I taught a class with the youth who attended Wood’s Homes 2016 Fitness Day, I really wanted to continue to teach yoga on the campus on an ongoing basis. That’s when the partnership between the BEAM Foundation and Woods Homes was formed.

The Exceptional Needs Program (ENP) recently held a retreat to provide families in the program an opportunity to spend time together, learn and share together, and hear effective parenting strategies.