Canada’s affordable housing sector is continually being asked to do more with less. Fewer and less predictable public dollars along with population groups with increasingly complex needs has triggered strategic responses from the sector. The housing sector has become an entrepreneurial one, with housing and support service providers engaging in social enterprises and seeking out finance models with a deeper understanding of what is meant by return on investment. And although this is happening to support housing missions, this has led to the revitalization of those missions so that many now support needs beyond housing, such as employment or environmental objectives.

This session will consider game-changing initiatives from both Canada and abroad, which will answer questions like:

• How did a social enterprise model transform a single transitional housing space into a multi-service agency with more than 11 sites supporting women and children impacted by violence?
• What if the upfront costs of investing in crime prevention are carried by the private sector, with a return based on reduced recidivism?
• What if those leaving prisons with few options to join the workforce or attain housing had a chance to develop real job skills that also reduced energy costs in social housing?

“Meeting Multiple Bottom Lines: How Social Finance and Social Enterprise Is the New Game Changer”

• Liz Cross, Founding Partner and Managing Director, The Connectives (United Kingdom)

Bringing her considerable experience setting up and growing social enterprises both from the United Kingdom and around the world, Liz will discuss the movements and partnerships afoot that are having a transformative social, commercial and environmental impact.  She will also share with us the UK’s newest initiative – social impact bonds - through which the upfront costs of investing in crime prevention are carried by the private sector, with a return based on reduced recidivism.  Liz is the founding partner of The Connectives, who work around the world supporting commercial companies to leverage social outcomes and social businesses to achieve commercial outcomes.

Finding the Money: Social Finance for Affordable Housing: 

Social finance describes a financing arrangement where investors take into account the social impact of the investment as well as financial returns. In some cases, an investor is prepared to take a lower financial return to support a social outcome.  An overview of what social finance is all about will be provided, with an emphasis on real-life examples of how affordable housing projects have been developed using social financing.  Examples to be highlighted include:

• A unique partnership in Quebec through which social finance will fund new social housing;
• Community-based loans which supported the 2009 development of 3-unit affordable housing development in Saint John; and
• A recent 300 unit development undertaken by the YWCA in Toronto with support from a private foundation utilizing a social finance mechanism.

Speakers:
(click here to read their bios)

• Adam Spence, Manager, Special Projects,Social Innovation Generation and Founder, Social Venture Exchange
• Francois Vermette, Directeur général, Réseau québécois des OSBL d’habitation
• Charles Guindon, Directeur du développement et des produits financiers, Chantier de l’Economie Sociale
• Seth Asimakos, Manager, Saint John Community Loan Fund
   

Renewing the Mission: Social Enterprise and Affordable Housing:

Though at different scales and with different goals, all our panelists have taken an entrepreneurial path in supporting their housing missions.  In turn, their housing work has been renewed and transformed, and the multiple benefits of a social enterprise approach realized.  This panel of dynamic speakers will leave you with much inspiration and much learning. 

Panelists:

• David Eddy, CEO, Vancouver Native Housing Society

The Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery is a social enterprise created by the Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS) to provide a community owned resource for Aboriginal artists, and to, in turn, support the housing work of the Vancouver Native Housing Society. The project grew out of a communications program, Looking Forward Looking Back, that looked at Vancouver's Downtown Eastside through the eyes of Aboriginal artists. The gallery will be housed in VNHS’ newest building at 31 West Pender Street and will open in June of this year. The building will make a spectacular architectural statement with its marriage of Aboriginal and Victorian design. It will also be a place of healing, hope and pride and a beacon for Downtown eastside residents particularly the urban Aboriginal community.

• Janice Abbott, CEO, Atira Women's Resource Society

Atira Women's Resource Society has transformed from a single transition house located in South Surrey, BC to a large multi-service agency with two, for-profit subsidiaries, a development arm, more than 400 staff and an annual operating budget in excess of $18 million.

Atira Property Management Inc. was launched in 2002 and is a wholly-owned for-profit subsidiary of Atira Women's Resource Society.   All profits earned by the subsidiary are donated to Atira Women's Resource Society to support its social profit activities.  Not only does Atira Property Management Inc. support the work of Atira Women's Resource Society, it also provides tangible employment opportunities for the Society’s clients, many of whom face significant barriers to employment.

• Shaun Loney, Executive Director, Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD) 

In 2006, Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD) established a pilot project - Warm Up Winnipeg - to provide energy and water retrofits in 120 homes in a single Winnipeg inner-city neighbourhood.  Now an ongoing initiative, energy and water retrofits are undertaken in several of Winnipeg’s lowest income neighbourhoods by training individuals with minimal or no employment history to do the retrofitting.   Many of the trainees are former inmates of Aboriginal descent and face multiple labour-market barriers, which makes the supports offered on-site, such as drivers’ training, parenting skills-building and tutoring critical to the initiative’s success.  The results, no matter the measure, are staggering.  In 2010,90 per cent of Warm Up Winnipeg’s trainees got into the workforce or into trades-based education and 1400 tonnes of energy (GHG) were saved.
 

Speaker bios:

Adam Spence is the Founder of the Social Venture Exchange (SVX) and Manager, Special Projects at Social Innovation Generation (SiG) at MaRS.  For over ten years in the nonprofit sector, Adam has focused his work on community development, education, social innovation, and public policy change.  He was Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) for five years, a community animator for the skilled trades in Hamilton, and led the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA).  In these positions, he successfully grew revenues, developed enterprise programs, and successfully advocated for public policy change including low-income grants for post-secondary students and Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. Adam was born in Glasgow, Scotland, grew up on the Canadian prairies, and came of age in Hamilton, graduating from McMaster University with a degree in geography.
 

François Vermette is Executive Director of the Quebec network of non-profit housing corporations, a postion he's held since 2003. He holds a Masters degree in urban studies from University of Montreal and his thesis was centered on housing issues. He has worked with many community organizations on the problems around community based housing. He worked with a community consultation group in the South-central area of Montreal (South-central Alert), and then spent time working for Vélo-Québec. François is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Quebec Community Housing and Social Industry Fund. He also represents the Network at many consultation tables with various ministries (Social Service and Health) as well as the SHQ. The Network represents eight regional federations of non-profit housing corporations not served by regional authorities. Over 400 non-profits are affiliated with the Network, which sees its role as the advocate for non-profit housing corporations and the tenants they serve.
 

Charles Guindon is Director of Development and Financial Products for Chantier de l’économie sociale; where he has worked since 1996. He is also the Director of Commerce solidaire Québec. He played a part in the creation of Fiducie du Chantier de l’économie sociale – a financial tool for the Chantier - and coordinates the Fiducie's monitoring committee that comprises representatives from all regions of Québec. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Réseau d’investissement social du Québec (RISQ), another of the Chantier's financial tools. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Fonds d’investissement Montréal (FIM), a private development fund for public housing.

Before joining Chantier de l’économie sociale, he was a co-founder of Regroupement information logement de Pointe-Saint-Charles, a body dedicated to improving housing conditions for those of low and modest income in the south-west quadrant of Montréal. He was its general coordinator for more than 10 years. He was also a founding member and a member of the Board of Directors for the Regroupement pour la relance économique et sociale du Sud-ouest de Montréal (RÉSO) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Clinique communautaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles.

He brings together many years of experience in the development of social-economy businesses, the field of financial-tool development and the field of community housing.

Seth Asimakos wrote the original business plan for the Saint John Community Loan Fund and continues as its manager today. Previous to the Loan Fund, Seth helped develop an immigrant owned worker co-operative in Saint John; prepared refugees and immigrants for the job market; and worked on rural economic development in Nicaragua and Colombia. Seth also served as Executive Director of the Canadian Community Investment Network Cooperative and Co-Director of the Atlantic Social Economy Research Project, housed at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS. He has served on various local boards including Bayview Credit Union, Options Outreach and the Co-operators Advisory Panel. He holds a master's degree in planning and development.