LATEST NEWS

JUNE 2024

Brad Field appointed President & CEO of Homes For Heroes

Dave Howard, co-founder of Homes For Heroes Foundation, decided to step down as President and CEO of the charity as of December 31, 2023 in order to focus on new Village site acquisition and government relations.  Leadership of the organization will now be assumed by Brad Field.

Brad comes to Homes for Heroes with over 30 years of local and international, private and not-for-profit leadership experience. Until 2021, Brad was the president of BRC Group, headquartered in Calgary. With locations in Canada and the US, Brad and his team created an industry-leading reputation of excellence. Through his experience in transportation, healthcare, strategic consulting, and fire suppression, he brings a wide range of skills to the Homes for Heroes team. Brad was past board chair of Terminator Foundation and currently sits on the board of Business for Calgary Kids.

Brad has been a proud Calgarian for over five decades. His volunteer work in building homes for the impoverished with Homes for Hope, has provided him with valuable insight into the challenges facing our unhoused population. An avid supporter of our Canadian Veterans, Brad is honored to represent this organization.

We thank Dave Howard for his dedication to the cause of Homes For Heroes over the past six years and look forward to his invaluable contribution as he focuses on important areas of our charities growth.

ATCO Radisson
ATCO Radisson

L-R: Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Gayle Ramsay, Head, Everyday Banking, Segment & Customer Growth, BMO, and Brad Field, President and CEO of Homes For Heroes Foundation.

BMO/H4HF Partnership/Funding Announcement

On April 23, 2024, Homes For Heroes Foundation announced a $1.5 million donation from BMO – a long-time supporter of the Canadian Armed Forces and Canadian Veterans.

Representatives from both organizations were on hand at The Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto to make the announcement.

We are thrilled to begin a partnership with BMO in support of our charity’s mission to end the issue of Veteran homelessness. BMO is a global company with a proven commitment to our military community and today’s announcement will go a long way in helping us achieve our mission,” noted Brad Field, President and CEO of Homes For Heroes Foundation.

“As the Official Bank of the Canadian Defence Community, BMO is proud to partner with the Homes For Heroes Foundation and help accelerate the Foundation’s National Veterans’ Village Program,” 

said Gayle Ramsay, Head, Everyday Banking, Segment & CustomerGrowth, BMO. “This partnership is inspired by our Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, and supports our commitment to a more inclusive society by expanding the social services and housing that help veterans successfully transition back to civilian life.”

“Veterans Affairs Canada has proudly supported the Homes For Heroes Foundation through the Veterans and Family Well-Being Fund, with over $1.7 million in support since 2019. This support helps Homes For Heroes’ Veterans’ Villages to deliver tailored and personalized services to Veterans, all while providing them with a safe and affordable place to call home,” said the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. “Working with our partners is one of the ways we can ensure the physical, mental, and economic well-being of Veterans and their families. BMO’s commitment today shows that, through strong partnerships and collaboration, we can make a significant difference for Veterans and their families across the country.”

“Veterans Affairs Canada has proudly supported the Homes For Heroes Foundation through the Veterans and Family Well-Being Fund, with over $1.7 million in support since 2019. This support helps Homes For Heroes’ Veterans’ Villages to deliver tailored and personalized services to Veterans, all while providing them with a safe and affordable place to call home,” said the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. “Working with our partners is one of the ways we can ensure the physical, mental, and economic well-being of Veterans and their families. BMO’s commitment today shows that, through strong partnerships and collaboration, we can make a significant difference for Veterans and their families across the country.”

Homes For Heroes Foundation has Veteran villages in Calgary, Edmonton, and Kingston. Our fourth Veterans’ village is scheduled to be built in Winnipeg in the community of Transcona. “Our typical Veterans’ village has 20 tiny homes, a resource center, social worker offices, recreation space and community gardens. I believe the key to our success is providing the necessary social support services required for our unhoused Veterans to move on from the village towards employment and more permanent housing,” noted Mr. Field.

The association between BMO and the soldiers who have defended this country both in times of peace and war has been a long and historic one. During the Second World War, BMO established temporary branches to pay troops at various encampments throughout Canada and abroad. Overseas, Canadian military personnel were paid through its Waterloo Place office in London, England. Additionally, The Bank’s president George Spinney took a leave of absence and headed the National War Finance Committee, which oversaw the sales of Victory Loan bonds.

Did You Know ...

  • As many as 10,000 veterans are homeless and living on the streets in Canada.
  • Veterans are two times as likely as non-Veterans to experience homelessness.
  • Female Veterans are two times as likely than male vets to experience homelessness.
  • The type of support most frequently requested by homeless Veterans is affordable housing.
  • 58% of homeless Veterans were not aware of gov’t benefits and nearly half asked for help to receive them.
  • The average age of a homeless Veteran is 49 years.

Opening of the Kingston Village

Although the official Grand Opening will not occur until June 4th, we have already started our intake of the first cohort of 20 homeless Veterans into the Kingston Veterans Village. 

Our first onsite Veteran Service Manager at this site, Travis Cellini, comes to H4HF after spending 26 years serving in the Correctional Services of Canada as a Correctional officer and Correction Manager at Kingston Penitentiary and Millhaven Institution.

Travis also managed the Safe Consumption Site in Kingston Ontario before joining H4HF. Prior to his service with the Correctional Services of Canada, Travis was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces as a Signals Intelligence Specialist.

Every tiny home in a H4HF Village is named after a Veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Canada. Among the 20 tiny homes in the Kingston Village is one dedicated to Corporal George Taylor, who was born and raised in Kingston. Taylor was on the staff of BMO when he enlisted for service with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in October 1914. He was one of 1414 BMO employees that volunteered for service during the First World War. Sadly, he was also one of 230 BMO employees killed in action during that conflict. H4HF is proud to recognize his sacrifice by naming a home in his honour.

Progress Elsewhere ...

While it might seem slow (at least it does for us!), things are progressing with our planned Village in Winnipeg.  We now (finally!) have title to the site property; we have removed the excess dirt on the property as required by the City and have fenced off the site in preparation of site construction work.

Requests for Proposals have been disseminated for the design team members.  Once their work is done, we will be able to move on to the selection of the tiny home builder and the site construction manager.

In the meanwhile, we are having promising conversations with the Province of Ontario and municipalities in London, Hamilton, Toronto and Barrie as well as other cities across Canada.  We look forward to keeping you informed.

Announcing Carpet One Corporate Partnership

Carpet One Floor & Home is the Canadian extension of their parent company – the largest distributor of flooring in North America.  Their outlets in the United States have been supporting first responders in the U.S. through The Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charitable organization founded in tribute to New York Fire Department firefighter Stephen Siller, who was killed on September 11, 2001, during the September 11 attacks. 

The Canadian members have chosen Homes For Heroes Foundation as their charity of choice in Canada and have donated the flooring and kitchen backsplash materials for all the buildings in both our Edmonton and Kingston Villages, as well as through cash donations raised by individual outlets.

Carpet One has now set a goal to fully sponsor a Veteran’s home in every Village built by Homes For Heroes, starting with Winnipeg – needless to say, we couldn’t be more pleased or grateful!  Thank you again Carpet One!