On a chilly November evening, students from all five Waterloo Catholic District School Board secondary schools came together at St. Mary’s High School to launch this year’s Homes for Hope fundraiser. They zipped up coats, rolled out sleeping bags and settled into a student-built “tent city.” It was a simple but powerful act of solidarity, rooted in compassion and a shared commitment to care for others.
Homes for Hope runs from November 20 to December 20 and invites our community to support neighbours who are experiencing chronic homelessness. Donations will once again support A Better Tent City and The Bridges, two organizations that provide care, stability and essential services. This year, OneROOF has also joined the campaign. Their work focuses on youth facing homelessness, adding a meaningful new dimension to the effort: youth helping youth.
To help students understand the full landscape of homelessness in our region, guest speakers from across the community shared stories, insight and lived experience. Representatives joined from the Region of Waterloo, A Better Tent City, The Bridges, St. Mary’s Church, the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, St. Mary’s Hospital, OneROOF, The Working Centre and the Waterloo Regional Police Service. Their presence reminded students that this issue touches every corner of our community and that hope grows fastest when we take action together.
Throughout the night, students reflected, learned and leaned on one another. They listened to residents who have navigated the harsh realities of homelessness. They heard from front-line workers who show up every day with care and conviction. They were guided by staff who reminded them, through words and quiet leadership, that this was not just an event. It was a movement.
Making this event possible took weeks of planning and collaboration from staff across the WCDSB. From organizing logistics and building partnerships to supporting student learning and well-being throughout the night, staff played a key role in shaping a meaningful experience, one rooted in dignity, empathy and action.
This growing tradition is more than a fundraiser. It is a lesson in dignity, a call to community and a reflection of the care that lives at the heart of our Catholic schools, both in our students and in the staff who support them.
As we move through another year of Homes for Hope, we invite our community to give generously, share widely and help bring warmth, dignity and shelter to those who need it most.
Thank you to every speaker, partner, staff member and student who made the night possible. Thank you to our wider community for continuing to show what is possible when we choose hope and choose one another.
