Chaz Smith Founded of non profit Be The Change YYC in 2015. This came about from his passion of working in the homeless serving sector but also his lived experience of homelessness, in 2005 to 2008. After being a success of housing first he went into working with the Calgary homeless foundation on the 10-year plan to end youth Homelessness; along with working at the youth shelter he has previously lived at; Avenue 15. From both his passion to serve, and advocate for those who often fall through the gaps – he went onto forming Be The Change YYC, in 2015. Chaz uses his time to effectively advocate, empower – and remind individuals that people experiencing homelessness are just like him. They have inherent human dignity, with immense amount of potential. Chaz serves as an example of what it means to be the change.

You will find him in and out of media, speaking with those with power to create change, advocating for housing and supports for the unhoused. If you are looking for a speaker to come to your business, school, church, or presentation – reach out. There is power in community and together he says “We can be the change that we want to see. We can change a world, one person at a time.”