Our approach in Hamilton is rooted in a simple, powerful belief: when people are met with dignity, possibility follows. Across the city, we support initiatives that advance equitable access to healthcare, foster a sense of belonging, and elevate youth voices through creative expression.

At the heart of this work is our partnership with HAMSMaRT—a frontline healthcare collective that meets people where they are. Whether on the street, in encampments, or in shelters, HAMSMaRT delivers dignified, relationship-based care to individuals too often failed by the traditional system. Their work is more than medical—it’s a challenge to rebuild trust, shift policy, and reimagine what accessible healthcare can be.

We also work alongside St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, supporting mental health and addictions programs that serve youth and adults in crisis. This includes the hospital’s peer support initiative, which embeds individuals with lived experience of substance use into care settings to help bridge trust, reduce stigma, and guide people toward long-term support. These efforts are vital threads in the broader social safety net and reflect our commitment to upstream, integrated solutions that don’t just respond to emergencies but foster long-term well-being.

That same commitment to youth is reflected in our support of Alternatives for Youth, where young people receive tailored counselling, harm reduction support, and tools for navigating substance use with compassion and agency. Their work ensures that youth are not defined by their challenges, but supported in building forward.

Creativity is another essential form of care. Through Re-Create Art Outreach, youth are offered space to express themselves, process trauma, and build confidence through artistic exploration. Art becomes a bridge—to identity, to peers, to possibility. In Hamilton, we see the arts not as an “extra,” but as a central part of healing and belonging.

Our collaboration with the Hamilton Community Foundation helps weave these efforts into a broader strategy for systemic change. As one of Canada’s most respected community foundations, HCF brings deep local knowledge and a shared commitment to equity, innovation, and lasting impact.

Together, these partnerships form a coherent regional strategy: investing in health, belonging, and creative expression as the foundations for a more inclusive Hamilton—one where every individual, especially youth, can find the support they need to thrive.