About Us

Our Story

BeTheChangeYYC was founded in 2015 by Chaz Smith, whose personal experiences with homelessness inspired him to create a grassroots organization dedicated to supporting Calgary’s unhoused community.

At just 15, Chaz lived in shelters and Children’s Services programs, eventually becoming the first recipient of the Trellis Society’s Infinity Project, which helped him achieve stability. Drawing from his journey, he launched BeTheChangeYYC to provide street-level outreach and advocacy.

Today, Chaz leads a dedicated team of nurses, paramedics, and over 200+ trained volunteers. Together, they deliver essentials like food, water, harm reduction supplies, and mental health support through weekly outreach efforts. In 2022 alone, BeTheChangeYYC served nearly 17,400 individual contacts, with 22% receiving referrals to resources they hadn’t known about.

Guided by empathy, compassion, and lived experience, Chaz and team BeTheChangeYYC work tirelessly to help end homelessness in Calgary. Learn why Chaz was awarded Top 40 Under 40 for these achievements.

BeTheChangeYYC

We are On a Mission to Help The Unhoused

Street Outreach: Supporting Calgary’s Unhoused Community since 2015:

Our street outreach team is dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness in Calgary. We walk the streets and back alleys of the city on foot, every:

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday: 4:45 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Evenings, weekends, and holidays included!

We provide essentials such as food, water, clothing, hygiene items, harm reduction supplies, resource guides, and referrals. Our goal is to connect individuals with resources like housing, detox programs, shelters, mental health support, ID clinics, and much more to help break the cycle of homelessness.

Hope often begins with something as simple as a meal. Sometimes, all it takes is a helping hand and a little extra support.

If you or someone you know is in need, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.