Webinars

UPCOMING shelter transformation webinars

To join our webinars, you must register for each through the links provided. The webinars are free and will be recorded and posted to this page.

Open Doors, Tough Calls: Navigating Access Restrictions in Low-Barrier Shelters

Low-barrier shelters aim to reduce obstacles to entry, ensuring vulnerable populations can access safe and stable housing. However, navigating access restrictions – whether due to safety concerns, legal requirements, or resource limitations – requires careful consideration to balance inclusivity with operational feasibility. In this session, attendees will gain insights from shelter providers how to navigate the balance between access and safety.

Join us on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025 at 12 noon ET

Previous Shelter Transformation Webinars

HELPING WITHOUT PUISHING: USING MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING IN A SHELTER SETTING

February 26, 2025

This webinar explores the fundamentals of Motivational Interviewing – an approach to guiding conversations that inspire change. With a special focus on engaging shelter guests who are still contemplating their next steps, this session will introduce you to practical concepts that will help shelter guests on their re-housing journey.

Recording HERE

Presentation by:

Hannah Skinner, Residential Manager – Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services (Stratford, ON)

Grant Martin, Network Coordinator – Canadian Shelter Transformation Network

WHY DATA MATTERS: THE POWER OF DATA IN ELEVATING EMERGENCY SHELTER PERFORMANCE

January 29, 2025

‘This session highlights the vital role data plays in optimizing the performance and impact of emergency shelters. Participants will explore how collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data can improve decision-making, streamline operations, and enhance the quality of services provided to shelter guests.

Recording HERE

Presentation by:

Chris Gorman, Senior Associate – Orgcode Consulting Inc.

Paul Loewen, Manager of Advocacy & Accountability – Siloam Mission (Winnipeg)

IMPRESSIONS OF SAFETY AND POTENTIAL BARRIERS TO ADDRESS

December 18, 2024

‘Mores rules doesn’t create more safety’. It is important for the shelter operator to understand the different perspectives on safety.

In this webinar we explore how the perspectives of safety between shelter guests and operators may differ, and how unnecessary rules contribute to more barriers to the access of shelter for those in need.

Recording HERE

Presentation by:

Jasmine Clark from Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services (Stratford, ON), Brian Elliot from the INN (St. Thomas-Elgin, ON) and Jamil Mahmood from Main Street Project (Winnipeg, MB)

BY-NAME DATA, COORDINATED ENTRY & GETTING SHELTER GUESTS ‘DOCUMENT READY’

November 27, 2024

By-Name Data and Coordinated Entry are vital components to any system that aims to end homelessness. This webinar will provide an introduction to these components and addresses the important link between them and emergency shelter providers.

Recording HERE

Presentation Slides: HERE

Presentation by:

Kevin Webb, Director of Emergency Shelter & Housing – The Calgary Drop-In Centre (Calgary)

SELF-DIRECTED AND STAFF INVOLVED RAPID RESOLUTION

October 23, 2024

Rapid Resolution is a housing intervention designed to immediately resolve a household’s homelessness once they enter shelter. This session will review how service providers can engage shelter guests in deliberate, thoughtful and individualized conversations that seek to solve their immediate housing crisis.

Recording Part 1, Part 2

Presentation by:

Kristin Kennedy & Lindsay Enns, Manager and Supervisor of Transition Services – Siloam Mission (Winnipeg)
Emilia Daka-Siwale, Diversion Coordinator – The Calgary Drop-In Centre (Calgary)

DESIGNING DIVERSION AND INTAKE FOR YOUR SHELTER

September 25, 2024

This webinar defines and differentiates between prevention, diversion and intake services. Presenters will explain each element and outline effective approaches of implementation.

Recording HERE

Presentation by:

Amanda Brierley, Manager of Shelter Services – Kingston HomeBase Non-Profit Housing Inc.
Michael Lethby, Executive Director – The RAFT

Service Orientation considerations in shelter

August 28, 2024

This is a non-clinical introduction to the very specific service orientation that underpins the work, informs the engagement between staff and shelter guests, and frame the overall philosophy of service in the shelter. The service orientation encompasses: 1) Harm Reduction, 2) Trauma-Informed Care, 3) Culturally Appropriate & Safe Service, and 4) Person-Centred Care, 5) Compassion and 6) Assertive Outreach.

Recording HERE

Presentation by:

Tessa Blaikie-Whitehead, CEO – Siloam Mission
Grant Martin, Network Coordinator – CSTN

ROLE OF A LOW-BARRIER, HOUSING-FOCUSED SHELTER & THE KEY ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE SHELTERS: aN INTRODUCTION

July 31, 2024

As part of an ongoing webinar series, in this initial session attendees will be provided with an overview of the role of emergency shelters, an introductory definition of low-barrier housing focused shelters, and a review of the 5 key elements of being an effective shelter.

Recording CLICK HERE

Presentation by:
Grant Martin, CSTN Network Coordinator

updated guidelines to a Low-Barrier, Housing-Focused Shelter

September 16, 2022

The Canadian Shelter Transformation Network is pleased to release an updated Introduction to Low-Barrier, Housing-Focused Shelter resource.

Iain De Jong, the author of the updated resource, shares the core elements of Low-Barrier, Housing-Focused Shelter and what has been expanded and modified in this new resource.

Recording CLICK HERE