In business for seven years now Martyshuk Housing takes a unique approach to tackling homelessness in Edmonton, combining the agility of a private company with the social conscience of a non-profit. Operating on a landlord/tenant model, Martyshuk Housing provides homes for approximately 350 of Edmonton’s homeless population at any given time, facilitating their tenants’ connection with medical, social, employment and psychological services.

Dave Martyshuk, founder of Martyshuk Housing, doesn’t mince words when it comes to the issue of homelessness in Alberta. In his home turf of Edmonton, official statistics list the number of homeless individuals as fewer than 2000.

"To my best, educated guess," Martyshuk told GayCalgary, "we have got closer to 3500 to 4000 homeless people in Edmonton." In reference to the city’s ten-year plan to eliminate homelessness he said, matter-of-factly, "add another eight years to it."

If Martyshuk appears concerned at the potential shortfall in the city of Edmonton’s plan to deal with homelessness, it is because he is tallying the real human cost of what he sees as inadequate measures.

"They’re going to end up paying for fifteen hundred funerals. I have seen this happen. I tried to get a guy into the house; a day later he died in a snow bank. We couldn’t get him into the system fast enough." As much as Martyshuk is motivated to maintain the service his company already provides for such at-risk individuals, the major thrust of his efforts are toward expansion.

"That is why fundraising is at such a critical level, because we need to bring in support for these people," he says. "Once we bring in trauma counsellors, addiction counsellors... that’s what we’re struggling to raise money for, because once we bring those services in the whole dynamic is going to change, and the success level is going to rise considerably."

Key to this strategy is Martyshuk Housing’s upcoming fundraiser on November 7^{th at Latitude 53 in Edmonton. The event is billed as a cabaret and silent auction and will feature comedian Chris McBain performing as Fellatia Rimbottom in "Fellatia’s Fantastic Fun Time Show." Tickets are $20 at the door.}

As much as we would like to believe we are beyond it, many of these instances of trauma begin right at home. Queer youth are disproportionately represented within homeless youth in general. Though statistics are notoriously difficult to collect among the homeless population, between 25 and 40 per cent of homeless youth are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or another stripe of the GSM flag. Whether turned out by intolerant family, or subject to painful and scarring persecution, prevailing cultural attitudes contribute to homelessness in queer youth, and queer people in general, making it a de facto queer issue. Martyshuk estimates that "25 per cent of our tenants are either gay, lesbian or transgender."

"These people didn’t start out [this way]. Society drove them to that point," he says. It is a sentiment echoed by Chris McBain, whose work as an outspoken AIDS activist and critic of religiously motivated bigotry touches on some of the root causes of queer homelessness.

Of particular focus in Martyshuk Housing’s efforts are individuals referred to as ‘hard-to-house’. These are, in Martyshuk’s opinion, society’s most abused and downtrodden, suffering addiction, poor mental health, chronic illnesses, and physical and emotional trauma, including the stigma and bigotry suffered by those who are open, or outed, about their sexuality and gender identity. "When you combine all these hindrances, and then you bring them into a home, they don’t respect it, or themselves," he says. "It usually takes two to four weeks for them to trust us and to begin to appreciate the fact that they can head down a road of healing."

Martyshuk Housing’s Chief Operations Manager Rosie Kuntz concurs. "Dave hit on it right there – trust. That is why it takes so long... but once they trust you, you see the change come," she says.  "Success for them may be just having a home. They will be staying with us for the rest of their life, but they’re still thriving because they have a home now."

Kunz maintains that re-framing definitions of success on an individual basis would remove much of the stigma around homeless individuals. "[Society may be] saying well, they are still a drug addict... but they are housed now, they are not on the streets. That is success. They feel love and acceptance."

Since founding the company Martyshuk has received both resistance to and enthusiasm for the idea, but stays optimistic about its future. "A lot of the backlash I was receiving is, Martyshuk Housing is private sector, okay? There was an attitude out there that private sector has got no business in the social arena. That was 2007. Over the past seven years that has changed and people are realizing that private sector needs to be involved, they need to be engaged, and partner with social agencies and government agencies. Right now, as it stands, I think the province of Alberta is our biggest advocate."