Homes First Society

Having joined Homes First Society over two decades ago, Michael is currently a Manager of Development, focusing primarily on creating affordable and supportive housing. He started as a front-line worker at the innovative StreetCity, which closed in 2003 but laid the path for Strachan House, the influential, deeply-supportive program serving many of Toronto’s most complex tenants. Michael was the Life Skills worker at Strachan for nearly 15 years.

He left Strachan to manage The Rooming House Project, a joint venture with Dixon Hall and Ecuhome providing services to tenants of Toronto Community Housing buildings in the Cabbagetown area. After several years he returned to Homes First to eventually become their Director of Housing and Shelters, helping oversee the organization’s crisis response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent significant expansion of shelter capacity, including several large hotel programs.

Prior to Homes First Michael had extensive experience in both shelters and supportive housing. Graduating with a degree in Communications from his hometown University of Windsor, he has also worked as a free-lance writer, in radio. and in community engagement and public relations with various organizations such as the AIDS Committee of Windsor.