ABOUT US

City of Edmonton and HomeEd brought together a number of individuals and organizations to develop the City of Edmonton’s response to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless in 1987. The people who came together decided ongoing action and activities were required, and formed the Edmonton Coalition on Homelessness (ECOH).

ECOH prepared a report on homelessness titled “No Place Like Home”. The report contained 45 recommendations, and eventually led to a joint consultative committee with Province, City and ECOH.

ECOH spearheaded Edmonton Inner City Need and Demand Study, funded and sponsored by the joint consultative committee. The short term response to the study recommendations were immediate housing projects, while the long term response was the creation of the Edmonton Joint Planning Committee on Housing (Province, City and ECOH). One of the tasks of the Joint Planning
Committee was the preparation of a longer term plan (3-5 yrs).

ECOH was a member of the Joint Planning Committee and worked with other members to develop projects and programs. It also worked on increasing public awareness regarding issues relating to housing and homelessness.

ECOH was involved in an update on housing needs in Edmonton.

EOCH was involved in the Update on Affordable Housing for Low Income and Special Needs Households.
 

EOCH secured funding from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation and a number of its members to research the possibility of developing a housing trust fund. While ECOH spear-headed this work, the Joint Planning Committee was also involved in the research and development of the Edmonton Housing Trust Fund.

As the Settler establishing the Trust Fund, ECOH had to incorporate and did so under the Societies Act. The name was changed to Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH), to reflect its broader mandate.
 

The following are the general objectives of ECOHH as it was incorporated:

• To identify the scope of homelessness & the nature & magnitude of housing problems in the Edmonton region,

• To identify a range of solutions to the problems of housing and homelessness,

• To develop &/or to facilitate the development of solutions to the problems,

• To collect funds to further the objectives of the Society,

• To affiliate with other individuals & groups having similar interests.

The Edmonton Housing Trust Fund was created.

ECOHH explored the possibility of establishing the Alberta Housing Coalition, and with funding from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, worked with representatives from other communities across Alberta to establish the provincial coalition. AHC held three provincial conferences in the next few
years, and ECOHH provided oversight of staff and managed finances for AHC.

In cooperation with the street newspaper Our Voice, ECOHH launched a postcard campaign to persuade the Alberta government to invest in affordable housing and presented more than 6000 signed cards at a rally in November. The campaign was launched at an event in August called “The Last Resort” that involved music, entertainment, and having members of the public create small houses from cardboard to cover the lawn at Old Scona School.

First HomeFest concert presented, to educate Edmontonians with regard to housing and homelessness issues. HomeFest delivered hours of music from some of Edmonton's best and favourite folk and roots musicians. It also provided good current information about the real situation.

The concert was supported by sponsors, the work of more than 100 volunteers each year, and many musicians and other members of the roots music community. Proceeds from the concert were used to make grants to ECOHH member organizations for small projects. The concert was presented annually for ten years and received a ROOPH award from Homeward Trust in 2013.

ECOHH presented the first Memorial for the lives of people who had died in the previous year due to homelessness or housing insecurity. The event has been held annually since.

With funding support from United Way, ECOHH produced a 2008 calendar with scenes related to housing security in Edmonton and practical ideas for addressing housing security.

ECOHH undertook an extensive strategic planning process and developed revised vision, mission, values and goals. The executive developed a related set of key messages in 2012.

With funding from Edmonton Arts Council, ECOHH undertook a project to work with people having housing challenges in their lives to create a sculpture to honour the lives of homeless people. The sculpture was unveiled in November of that year and is located in a small park north of City Hall on 103A Avenue, now called Homeless Memorial Plaza.

The first annual event to recognize the National Housing Day of Action was hosted by ECOHH, and we’ve continued the event annually ever since, taking the form of a rally, or a film presentation with discussions.

ECOHH presented the two-day Right to Housing conference on June 5 and 6, to educate and encourage more active citizen involvement in issues related to ensuring housing security for all Edmontonians.

As part of the ongoing events to recognize the National Housing Day of Action, ECOHH hosted a special screening of the documentary “Us and Them,” that follows the lives of four individuals suffering from homelessness and addictions in Vancouver over 10 years. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic ECOHH worked to raise awareness of the devastating impact on the vulnerably-housed population.

ECOHH supported the production of the Edmonton-based short film “This Is Where We Live,” featuring personal stories of six Edmonton people who had experienced, or who were experiencing, homelessness during the summer of 2020, and screened the film on November 22 at the Garneau Theatre to recognize the National Housing Day of Action.

ECOHH was a leader in the movement to respect the rights of vulnerably housed Edmontonians in temporary encampments, hosting rallies to Stop the Sweeps, encouraging members and others to attend at each event to bear witness when a camp was dismantled and the people evicted, and bringing the message of basic justice to the media and City Council. 

ECOHH screened the documentary “PUSH: The Film,” highlighting the dangers of ongoing financialization of rental housing to recognize National Housing Day of Action at the Garneau Theatre, and provided information on financialization specific to Edmonton to the media.

ECOHH continued its engagement with advocacy and public engagement on multiple fronts, including the annual Homeless Memorial and National Day of Housing events, and partnered with Taproot Edmonton in the creation of the Housing Complex, a multi-part editorial series on housing in Edmonton.

ECOHH marked with sadness the passing of its longest serving member. Lynn Hannley was a founding member of ECOHH in 1986, provided resources and space through the Communitas Group for ECOHH's operations, and was a driving force behind the ongoing work of ECOHH as Chair of the Policy and Communications Committee. ECOHH continues into 2026 with determination to continue the legacy of Lynn and other members who have contributed so much to the issue of housing and homelessness in Edmonton.