Why e4c?
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Why e4c?
e4c exists with the singular goal of helping move vulnerable people toward positive, healthy and lasting change. But what does that mean?
It means giving people the support they need today – whether it’s emergency housing, food, clothing or harm reduction supplies – without judgment. It means helping people think about what they want from their life, and helping them take steps to make their goals a reality. It also means working to prevent and eventually eliminate poverty so that every person has a chance to live a life free of hunger, homelessness, discrimination and isolation.
Our approach is based on the reality that poverty is complex and interrelated. This means most people are dealing with more than one challenge at a time. So it’s not just homelessness – it’s homelessness and hunger, and perhaps mental health issues too. Poverty is also often multigenerational, with many people having grown up in poverty and never knowing anything different.
Our work focuses on meeting those urgent needs and walking alongside the people we serve as we help them find a way out of poverty. We want people to understand that poverty doesn’t have to be permanent and that everyone deserves a chance to shape their own future.
What We Do
Edmonton is blessed with a strong network of organizations that work to help people living in poverty. So what makes e4c different? We believe it’s both our scope and our approach to supporting Edmontonians in need.
After almost 50 years of working with vulnerable people, we know that poverty isn’t limited by age, gender, race, culture or geography. Poverty can, and does, affect anyone, anywhere. That’s why work to serve people at every age and stage of life. From infants to preschoolers in our Early Learning program and the youth in our Kids in the Hall Bistro, to adults helped through our housing programs, we reach people where and when they need us.
We also understand the importance of early intervention and prevention to reach children and youth before they become stuck in a cycle of poverty. Our work in helping children, together with our focus on at-risk youth, allows us to show young people how to focus on their potential and promise.
How We Work
We are guided by the compassion, kindness and non-judgmental approach that defined the values of the churches that founded us. Those qualities are part of our DNA and help us view poverty through a human rights lens where every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
e4c takes pride in our holistic, person-centred approach. We consider the whole person – their strengths, talents, challenges and concerns – and then connect them with our own resources and refer them to other community agencies as needed. Our goal is to help individuals find the help they need and connect with the people who can provide that help.
Most importantly, we take the time to get to know the people we serve, to listen to their stories and understand the journey that has brought them to where they are today. We recognize the determination and courage that has helped people navigate their way through poverty and encourage them to see themselves in the same way.