FCT Announces Multi-City Effort to Support Homeless and At-Risk Youth

FCT GROUP OF COMPANIES

FCT has donated more than $30,000 to support this important cause through partnerships with nine community organizations

OAKVILLE, ON –/COMMUNITYWIRE/– FCT, the national leader in title insurance and real estate technology, today announced a multi-city effort to support Canadians impacted by youth homelessness. Through partnerships with nine community organizations across the country, FCT has donated $30,000 to support meal programming for homeless and at-risk youth.

FCT’s donations will help to raise awareness and provide support for youth impacted by COVID-19 in the communities in which FCT operates, including 360kids (the GTA), Covenant House (Vancouver), Good Shepherd Centres (Hamilton), Laing House (Dartmouth), Le Bon Dieu dans la rue (Montreal), West End 24 Hour Safe Space (Winnipeg), Wood’s Homes (Calgary), Youth Impact Jeunesse Inc. (Moncton) and Youth Opportunities Unlimited (London).

“At FCT, we’re invested in our communities and are committed to driving positive change any way we can,” said Michael LeBlanc, CEO, FCT. “We recognize that every bit counts and in light of COVID-19, we’re focusing on a cause that is important to our company and our employees across the country. We wanted to support the great work our community partners are doing to provide critical resources for homeless and at-risk youth during these unsettling times.”

Testimonials from FCT’s community partners:

360kids
“We believe that every young person deserves a safe place to call home. While we have certainly seen challenges in the past, few in our 30 years have come close to COVID-19,” said Daniel Zaroski, senior development associate, corporate and foundations. “Each day, we have anywhere from 30 to 50 youth attend our Richmond Hill home base to access our meal programs, and our biggest need during the pandemic has been stocking our food bank. FCT’s support during this time has been critical to helping youth in the GTA overcome this crisis and transition to a state of safety and stability.”

Covenant House Vancouver
“We exist to provide love, hope and opportunity to youth in Vancouver experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Partnerships with organizations like FCT are key to helping us provide access to adequate food and proper nutrition to the young people we work with,” said Alison Brodie, development officer, corporate and foundation giving. “This partnership will help form the building blocks for youth to live healthy, fulfilling and productive lives, often for the very first time.”

Good Shepherd Centres
“FCT’s dedication to creating opportunities for positive change aligns with our core mission and values,” said Norma Joaquim, director, youth services. “Our main goal is to restore hope with support that will help young parents break the cycle of poverty for multiple generations. We are excited to have FCT alongside us, working together to build healthy and resilient communities for young moms and their children in Hamilton.”

Laing House
“At Laing House, we offer innovative youth engagement and peer support programs to empower youth living with mental illness,” said Kyle Kelly, program team manager. “As we navigate challenges brought on by the pandemic, we are working to address food insecurity by encouraging youth to access our online community of healthy living programs. FCT’s support is integral to expand this offering and help fill a gap for many young people in Nova Scotia.”

Dans la rue
“Because of support from partners like FCT, we are able to provide homeless youth in Montreal with the skills and resources needed to lead more autonomous lives,” said Cécile Arbaud, executive director. “This includes emergency accommodation, family services, education and meals – none of which would be possible without their support.”

West End 24 Hour Safe Space (WE24)
“As an organization providing at least two meals a day to homeless youth in Winnipeg, FCT’s meal programming support has been instrumental,” said David F. Cole, director of operations. “This partnership has supported us in providing crucial resources to those who need it most and helped our communities get through one of the toughest times we’ve ever seen.”

Wood’s Homes
“We strive to provide services that promote and restore the well-being of children and families, and an important piece to that puzzle is meal programming,” said Ave Maria Beltran, community engagement coordinator. “Investing in both the mental and physical health of Calgarians in need wouldn’t be possible without partners like FCT, with their funding helping to expand our food security support and improve our programming by providing individuals with more independence in meal planning. We are truly grateful for their support.”

Youth Impact Jeunesse Inc.
“There are hundreds of at-risk and homeless youth across New Brunswick, who have fallen through the cracks of society and are deprived of the services available to them to become healthy and successful adults. This generous gift from FCT helps bridge the gaps in young peoples lives by meeting basic needs and opening doorways to education, employment and healthy futures,” said Mel Kennah, executive director.

“We are grateful to our community partners like FCT, who help us make a positive difference in the lives of at-risk youth here in Moncton through Youth QUEST Central,” said Tracy Cormier, associate director.

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU)
“For nearly 40 years, YOU has helped homeless and at-risk youth in London build the skills, confidence and independence required to reach their full potential and lead positive lives,” said Jamie Lee Arseneau, community engagement coordinator. “Thanks to community partners like FCT, we are able to kick-off brand new initiatives, such as serving meals to youth accessing emergency shelter services in our community. We’re excited to receive this support and to get one step closer to achieving our mission of helping lead youth toward success.”

About FCT:

Founded in 1991, the FCT group of companies is based in Oakville, Ontario, and has over 800 employees across the country. The group provides industry-leading title insurance, default solutions and other real-estate-related products and services to approximately 450 lenders, 43,000 legal professionals and 5,000 recovery professionals, as well as real estate agents, mortgage brokers and builders, nationwide.

The Great Place to Work^® Institute has named FCT one of Canada’s Top 50 Best Workplaces for six consecutive years (2015-2020) and certified FCT as a Great Place to Work. In 2020, the company was also recognized on the 2020 list of Best Workplaces™ for Inclusion, list of Best Workplaces™ for Women, list of Best Workplaces™ for Mental Wellness and list Best Workplaces™ in Ontario. FCT’s parent company, First American Financial Corporation, was named to the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list for the fifth consecutive year in 2020.

For more information on FCT, please visit the company website at www.fct.ca.

Contacts

Phillip Notley
FCT
905.464.1474
pnotley@fct.ca

Catherine Snider
Kaiser Lachance Communications
416.419.8333
catherine.snider@kaiserlachance.com