Why e4c?
Learn More
The People We Support
Describing a typical person that e4c serves is a difficult task – because there’s nothing typical about the people we work with. Every person has a unique life story that led him or her to where they are today.
The people we serve span all ages, races, genders and cultures and come from all corners of the world. They are children, youth, families, and adults. Many have struggled with addiction or mental health issues, some were raised in families for whom poverty is multigenerational, and others are newcomers to Canada. While everyone we serve has their own individual experience, we are continuously inspired by the courage, tenacity and bravery they bring to their daily lives.
Building Trust
Our first step in helping people move toward positive, healthy and lasting change is earning the trust of those who need our support. We do this by being honest, respectful and compassionate in our interactions and by keeping the promises we make. Our work is trauma informed, which means we recognize and are responsive to the impact of trauma, and strive to make sure people feel physically, psychologically and emotionally safe with us. We are equally committed to both intervention and prevention, so that we can make a difference in the here and now, while helping to prevent poverty-related issues in the future.
Our focus on the future is evident in our commitment to providing support in early learning, youth and housing. Those areas can have a dramatic impact on preventing and eventually eliminating poverty. When supported and assisted, children and youth have the potential to break the poverty cycle and chart a new path for themselves and their families.
Changing Lives and Growing Communities
Our mission is to change lives and grow communities. That’s why we’ve created resources that address people’s most urgent needs, so we can help when it’s needed most. We take a harm reduction approach to intervention, offering help without judgment or bias so that people can be safer from harm in the moment.
We believe every person who is denied safety, security, food, shelter and the opportunity to live free from discrimination is being denied a basic human right. Not surprisingly, our focus areas of shelter and housing, food security, education and skill development, and community and collaboration align with those core human rights.
We know that the people we work with are resilient and resourceful, and have learned to do what is necessary to survive. With the right support and assistance, they use those same qualities to build upon their own strengths to shape their own future.