Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society recognizes 2021 Community Leaders

Surrey, BC – Each year, Surrey Homelessness & Housing Society (SHHS) recognizes outstanding community members who have gone above and beyond to make a positive impact in their community and support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Surrey. SHHS is so pleased to recognize Cody Jacques and the Grade 6/7 students from the Kirkbride Elementary School SCORES program with our 2021 Community Leader Awards!

“Every year, the society recognizes extraordinary residents who are change-makers in their community and go above and beyond to support Surrey’s priority populations,” said Mayor Doug McCallum. “This year, Cody Jacques and students from Kirkbride Elementary School are being awarded for their exceptional work in supporting Surrey’s youth. On behalf of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society, I would like to thank you for your steadfast commitment to young people in our community. The positive impact can be seen throughout our city and you should all be very proud of your accomplishment.” 

“Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society’s vision is that everyone in Surrey has a home,” said Councillor Laurie Guerra, President of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society. “Since its inception in 2007, SHHS has granted over $7 million to support the development of Made-in-Surrey solutions – creating housing, programs, and partnerships that effectively respond to Surrey’s unique needs. But we can’t do this alone, and that’s why the efforts of Cody and the students at Kirkbride Elementary School are being honoured today. We thank them for making a difference in the lives of Surrey youth.”

Cody Jacques

Cody Jacques has been involved with supporting Surrey’s youth in and from care since the time he was a youth himself. Cody was dedicated to the Surrey Poverty Reduction Coalition’s Connecting Community to Surrey Youth Leaving Care project from 2016-2020 and provided his valuable knowledge, perspective, and experience to the many impactful initiatives of the project that supported Surrey’s youth with experience in the government care system. Cody made the transition from a youth participant to a major member of the project team. He was part of the Planning Committee, most Working Groups, and he facilitated the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) meetings, ensuring other YAC members had the support they needed to attend and participate. During his work,  Cody completed a bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care and is currently employed with the Ministry of Child and Family Development. Cody is currently working on applying for a master’s degree which he will pursue in 2022. He continues to be a kind, understanding and committed mentor for Surrey’s youth, and a shining example of what it means to be an SHHS Community Leader. SHHS would like to thank Cody for the positive impact he continues to make on the lives of Surrey’s youth.

Students at Kirkbride Elementary

Canada SCORES is a nonprofit organization that supports youth through afterschool programs. The grade 6 and 7 students attending Kirkbride Elementary School’s SCORES afterschool program have proven themselves to be skilled young social enterprisers – they designed and created their own hand-drawn colouring books to sell to their community, donating the $2,200 raised to SHHS for community projects. These entrepreneurial young people were inspired to help support their community. Working together with the guidance of their program coaches, they came up with this innovative idea to apply their skills for the benefit of others. SHHS would like to acknowledge these compassionate students – they serve as an inspiration to us all and should be extremely proud of their accomplishment. 

About Surrey Homelessness & Housing Society

SHHS has been an effective leader and partner in the community for over 10 years by raising, managing and distributing funds to support programs, projects and initiatives that build capacity and make a difference in the lives of people who are experiencing or who at risk of homelessness in Surrey. Since 2007, the Society has invested over $7 million in over 150 projects, supporting community partners to build and maintain housing and facilities, build capacity in the housing and homelessness sector, and fund programs to address homelessness in Surrey. For more information, visit: surreyhomeless.ca.