For immediate release – press release: Calgary Homeless Foundation, Community Action Committee
(Toronto, ON; August 12) Heading into Toronto August 19 – 22, Cross-country Invisiblepeople.tv Roadtrip gains momentum as formerly homeless man & renowned social media activist, Mark Horvath, puts a face on Canadian homelessness.
Ever doubt the power of social media to make true change? Let us introduce you to Mark Horvath, Huffington Post blogger, @hardlynormal on Twitter and founder of invisiblepeople.tv. Mark puts power into the hands of Canada’s most vulnerable people: those experiencing homelessness. By giving individuals a voice, he is building awareness and support to end homelessness.

Mark, once homeless himself, understands the issue. He is midway through the Invisiblepeople.tv cross-Canada Roadtrip coordinated by The Community Action Committee (CAC) and the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF). Socially-responsible companies General Motors, Petro-Canada, Virgin Mobile Canada, Hanes and Delta Hotels are sponsoring Mark as he gathers and posts these real, raw and unforgettable stories on: http://www.invisiblepeople.tv with mainstream media networks demonstrating the value of his message.
We’re exposing the un-natural disaster of homelessness in Canada through the personal stories of those experiencing it.” said Tim Richter, President and CEO of the CHF “As Canadians see their homeless neighbours through Mark’s lens, they are compelled to act and join the growing number of Canadian communities committed to ending homelessness.
“The power of social media is that we associate names, faces and stories with homeless individuals.” said Barry Davidson, Chair of the CAC. “Canadians are listening and communities are galvanizing to take action to end homelessness.”
Roadtrip Stops
City |
Date |
City |
Date |
Victoria |
July 5-6 |
Regina |
August 5-6 |
Vancouver |
July 7-10 |
Winnipeg |
August 8-9 |
Kelowna |
July 12 |
Thunder Bay |
August 11 |
Calgary |
July 14-16 |
Sault Ste Marie |
August 13 |
Red Deer |
July 17 |
Toronto |
August 19-22 |
Edmonton |
July 18-19 |
Ottawa |
August 28-30 |
Whitehorse |
July 21-22 |
Montreal |
September 1-3 |
Yellowknife |
July 24-26 |
Fredericton |
September 5-6 |
Fort McMurray |
July 28 |
Halifax |
September 8-9,14 |
Edmonton |
July 30-31 |
St. John’s |
September 11-12 |
Saskatoon |
August 2-3 |
|
|
**dates subject to change. Visit http://www.calgaryhomeless.com/cac for the most up-to-date schedule.
How can you help?
- Spread the word, post stories on Facebook and Twitter, try & gain as much attention as you can.
- Welcome him to your city and provide him with a tour of where homeless people stay.
- Speak to your media friends and help get the problem noticed.
- Follow Mark’s journey on Twitter @hardlynormal.
- Help build support for 10 Year Plans and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Contact: Sean French, Community Action Committee
sean@calgaryhomeless.com Twitter – @seanfrench1
About Mark Horvath
Follow Mark’s journey on www.invisiblepeople.tv, a site that shares unedited, uncensored and raw interview footage. Go to www.wearevisible.com, a site that gives people dealing with poverty and homelessness the tools to go online and have a voice. Follow his journey on Twitter @hardlynormal, with almost 13,000 followers. Mark was featured on CTV Canada AM, CBC Connect with Mark Kelley, The Roy Green Show, CNN, CBS, L.A. Times, Mashable.com and NPR. InvisiblePeople.tv has 2.5 million video views on Youtube alone with an average of 50,000 views per month.
10 Year Plan
From 1994 to 2006, Calgary had Canada’s fastest growing population of people experiencing homelessness, culminating with nearly 3,500 people sleeping in shelters. In 2007, the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness was formed to create a 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. In January 2008, Calgary became the first city in Canada to have a Plan that committed the community to end homelessness. This tour supports the Calgary Homeless Foundation’s goal to create a Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. To date over 2300 individuals have been housed with support.
The Community Action Committee
This Committee is the voice of community and works at the policy level, providing real-time information to coordinate the efforts of agencies, government and funders. With more than 100 member organizations that plan, deliver, evaluate and assess the services needed to end homelessness in Calgary, members work directly to help people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. For more information about the CAC or the invisible people Canadian road trip visit www.calgaryhomeless.com/cac.
Media inquiries, homeless serving agency inquiries and sponsorship inquiries can be directed to:
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.
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Bell Let’s Talk Day Supports Mental Health Initiatives
What happens on Bell Let’s Talk Day? We are encouraged to communicate openly in public, through social media like Twitter, Facebook and Google+ about mental health issues to end the stigma associated with mental illness. 1 in 5 Canadians will suffer some form of mental illness at some point in their lives, but it’s still something we don’t like to talk about. Getting the facts and talking openly is important in helping people find support and treatment for their illness. Further, we can’t have a discussion on the root causes of homelessness without addressing mental health.
Here are some of the posts on the MissionLog that address mental health issues:
A Girl Named R
What Do You Think is the Root Cause of Homelessness? (5 parts)
In one of my posts, I shared the following: “A recent study, by Heather Larkin of the University of Albany – shows the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences – ACE – and homelessness. From her study –
By addressing mental health issues, we can take an important step in mitigating one of the major causes of homelessness. Here’s the bonus – by getting the word out on Bell Let’s Talk Day, you can help raise even more money.
So, on January 28, let’s talk.
Bell will donate 5¢ more to mental health initiatives for every:
Join the team and if you tweet on Twitter using the #BellLetsTalk hashtag, let me know there @canayjun
You can also connect with the Twitter team by going to @Bell_LetsTalk and @Healthy_Minds
See you out there on January 28th!
<><
Andy
home-less
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Filed under: Advocacy, BREAKING News, canada, charity, Culture, donate, family, health, homelessness, internet, Life, Mental Health, News, News Commentary, non-profit, People, Social Media, volunteer, youth | Tagged: canada, challenged, community, health, homeless, homelessness, illness, mental, ptsd, shelter, street, suicide, trauma | Comments Off on Bell Let’s Talk Day Supports Mental Health Initiatives