Circle of Strength

Jordan Reiniger, Executive Director of Boyle Street Community Services, says that the organization’s new building, okimaw peyesew kamik, which is Cree for King Thunderbird Centre, will be far more than simply a new home for the organization.

Since 1971, Boyle Street has been helping those experiencing homelessness and poverty in Edmonton. Up until last year, it did so in a decrepit old building — once a banana ripening plant —with a forever-flooding basement and spaces not adequate for the organization’s purposes. The old building was a prime example of the type of homes many charitable organizations often find themselves in — buildings simply left over in the community, says Reiniger. So, while a new home is desperately needed, the beautiful, carbon-neutral building — designed with the input of Indigenous elders and the organization’s clientele — will transform the delivery of services. “I think for us, one of the driving forces behind this project has been the people that we serve that often are treated as trespassers in their own community,” says Reiniger.

“They aren’t given the dignity and worth that we know they have. And so, we wanted to create a building that was beautiful, had significant investment from the community, as a way of saying: ‘Hey, you’re worth it. You matter enough to us as a community that we’re going to build this beautiful building that’s meant for you.’”

With a huge amount of community and governmental support, the Build with Boyle Campaign raised enough funds for the construction of the building. Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) provided a grant from the beginning to enhance Boyle Street’s capacity to launch the capital campaign, says Reiniger. And Boyle Street also knew an endowment fund — to ensure funds would continue past construction — was essential.

“It was advice we had gotten from friends in the community who have done other capital campaigns and said from the beginning, make sure you … have a strategy for the endowment because you don’t want to be in a position to have this beautiful building but don’t have the funds to properly sustain the programs and services. So, we took that advice to heart,”

ECF put $100,000 up for matching towards the fund from the beginning and, as more money comes in, it’ll manage that fund and distribute the dividends on an annual basis. One of the major corporate donors to the fund is EPCOR, who has supported Boyle Street through various gifts and matching programs over the past decade, especially during times of need. Through the Heart + Soul Program, EPCOR matched all donations to the endowment fund up to $250,000 until mid- October. However, when community donations exceeded that match partway through the campaign, EPCOR announced another $125,000 in matching funds. Between the two, it brings their commitment to $375,000. The endowment fund is open for donations at any time.

“Boyle Street has done a great job of raising money to support the construction of King Thunderbird Centre through their capital campaign. As an infrastructure operator, we know there’s a great deal of importance in making sure that, along with maintaining infrastructure, you have the resources needed to keep services running,” says John Elford, President and CEO of EPCOR.

“Now that they have funding in place and construction underway, we really want to show our support and encourage others to help build the endowment so Boyle can continue to deliver critical programs and services for many years to come.”

Elford says EPCOR wants to be part of the long-term solutions to challenges faced by Edmontonians. And he recognizes the building will help Boyle Street improve its services as it is designed specifically with the needs of vulnerable people in mind. “They will be able to provide multiple layers of support, and multiple services out of the same facility,” says Elford. Reiniger says the difference in the design from the old building is so significant it allows the organization to deliver services in a much more efficient and supportive way. Smaller community spaces will be conducive to community building rather than simply having the cold feeling of an institution. “A lot of people that we are serving really need more intensive wrap-around supports…so we designed the building with interdisciplinary case management at the core,” says Reiniger. So, people will have access to a whole team of professionals: social workers, occupational therapists, and nurses. And they’ll be able to access all the services in a comfortable space, so not only will they get the access but they’ll also have that peer support.”

Reiniger says there will also be a 38-unit apartment building on site, allowing staff to incorporate housing into the case management of some individuals. All aspects of the building were carefully thought out with input from community members and Indigenous elders, which was key as over 75 per cent of Boyle Street’s clientele are Indigenous. Reiniger says one of the most important aspects that community members contributed was the need for space to do ceremony. In the past, if the organization wanted to hold a sweat lodge or ceremony, it had to go outside of the city, creating many barriers. “I’m most looking forward to … the day we can let our community members walk through the door, and see this beautiful space built with love for them. They’ll see the features of the design they informed, all the things they talked about wanting to see in a building like this. We’ll be able to do ceremony together. That full dream and vision can be realized,” says Reiniger. With the help of the community, Boyle Street’s legacy endowment will provide what Boyle Street calls a circle of strength to ensure services will not just continue but thrive and improve in years to come.