When Marie Morrison first started her career in the homelessness sector,听no听one听had heard of听By-Name Data or Coordinated Access 鈥� two听fundamental听elements now considered essential in the work to end homelessness.听
Housing First听wasn鈥檛听a term yet coined.听
To say the听sector91猫先生听approach has shifted听since then听would be a remarkable understatement.听
鈥淲e听can fairly say Marie听has helped听revolutionize听Canada91猫先生 response to homelessness.听We鈥檝e听grown听a movement听from听what she听developed听with Built听For听Zero-Canada, and she has set in motion a legacy that is going to continue far beyond her time,鈥� said Tim Richter, President and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH).听
鈥淪he91猫先生听just been this force of nature for so long. She threw her heart and soul into this work, and you can see it,鈥澨齌im听said.听
Career started in Waterloo听
Marie91猫先生 career in the sector began in 2001. At the time, as the system manager for homelessness听with听the Region of Waterloo, she听was responsible for听coordinating federal,听provincial听and local funding to respond to homelessness.听
She built local relationships, mapped existing services, gathered听data听and wrote plans 鈥� gradually shifting from a mindset of managing homelessness to ending it.听
鈥淲e were overwhelmed and pulled in so many directions. There was not a clear path on how we could support the community to get there. We were very 鈥渃onnected,鈥� and thought we were collaborating and coordinating our efforts, but really,听we were still offering services to people in silos,鈥� Marie said.听
That changed in late 2014, when Waterloo became the first community in Canada to implement a听Connection and Action听Week as one of a few pilot communities听for the听then-fledgling CAEH91猫先生 20,000 Homes Campaign.听
Marie Morrison gives a speech about the 20,000 Homes Campaign.
Better than a static Point-in-Time Count, which听collected data that was听immediately听outdated and听didn鈥檛听allow for follow-up, the Region of Waterloo听gathered actionable data asking for the consent of people experiencing homelessness to collect their names and information on housing and health needs.听
鈥淭his was the beginning of our By-Name Data, a comprehensive, real-time list of everyone experiencing homelessness in the community, from which we could work together to offer people support. It allowed us to听have a shared, ongoing count of the number of people experiencing homelessness and how people were flowing into and out of the system. We never had this听before. We really听didn鈥檛听know how many people were experiencing homelessness and what their needs were,鈥� said Marie.听
This was the听foundation of the听Built for Zero approach. It focused on making system improvements to generate an immediate impact. It allowed the community to work collectively to house people from a shared list, tracking progress each month and in real time.听
鈥淚t gave us a pathway to focus our efforts, along with tools, individualized support, and continued opportunities for peer exchange in the work toward zero,鈥� she said.听
In 2017, Marie left the Region of Waterloo to become just the fifth staff member of CAEH 鈥� which now has more than 40 staff members 鈥� to lead the 20,000 Homes Campaign听and ultimately, Built听For听Zero-Canada.听
Building a movement听
Today, Built听For听Zero-Canada听has听supported听more than听80 communities听across the country听in their听work to end homelessness.听
More than 50 communities have high quality, real-time data. Many are reducing homelessness, and some had even reached functional zero听for a population听鈥� when local community systems are able to rapidly rehouse people when they fall into homelessness.听
Since the 20,000 Homes Campaign launched, the communities supported through Built听For听Zero-Canada have housed people more than 100,000 times.听
None of that was true when Marie started with CAEH.
鈥淚f you think about the impact one person has had … Marie听has easily touched the lives听of all those 100,000 people in one way or another,鈥� said听Tim.听
鈥淪he carried the whole thing on听her back by herself for a while and then built the team that became Built听For听Zero-Canada. None of this听would鈥檝e听happened without her,鈥� he said.听
The movement now听has access to听resources,听from checklists and scorecards听to听a methodology听of听continuous improvement听and failing forward:听things that Marie听piloted听and introduced.听
鈥淗er approach is kind, solid, head down, do the work. And she is deeply, deeply committed to it,鈥澨齌im听said.听
Impact felt around the world听
Amanda DiFalco, now the senior director of strategy and people with CAEH,听has worked closely with Marie for more than a decade, starting in the homelessness sector with the City of Hamilton.听
At the time, Hamilton was also one of the first communities in Canada to conduct a听Point-in-Time听Count, and听later joined听Marie and the Region of Waterloo as one of the pilot communities with听CAEH91猫先生听Connection and Action听Week and the 20,000 Homes Campaign.听
As part of their groundbreaking work in the shift from managing to ending homelessness, Amanda and Marie were both selected to听represent听Canada at an Institute of Global Homelessness leadership program in India.听
鈥淲e found ourselves in a room with homelessness leaders from across the globe, in a country and culture that was new to both of us. What struck me听wasn鈥檛听any single moment 鈥� it was watching Marie move through that entire experience,鈥� Amanda听said.听
鈥淲hether she was learning from a local leader, navigating a cross-cultural conversation, or simply exploring what was around us, she brought the same qualities听to every interaction: genuine curiosity, no pretence, and a real desire to understand before she spoke. She听didn鈥檛听arrive with answers. She arrived with questions. And because of听that, people听opened up听to her,鈥� she said.听
When David Pearson first met Marie, he says there were just four Built for Zero/Advance to Zero communities in Australia.听
鈥淗onestly,听I听didn鈥檛听really know what I was doing.听I was just so impressed with what had been achieved by Built for Zero-Canada,鈥� said David, the CEO of the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH).听
鈥淣ow we have more than 30 communities and we听are听clear-eyed about our strategy, based on learning and our practice rooted in improvement. All of this is in no small part thanks to Marie. She has been an unwavering colleague, collaborator,听mentor听and friend 鈥� always willing to share a resource, a checklist, an听insight听or a supportive ear. She will be deeply missed from the international community of practice,鈥� he said.听
Melanie Lewis Dickerson, the chief programs officer with Field Impact in the United States, worked with Marie on the 20,000 Homes Campaign, and later to create Built for Zero-Canada.听
鈥淚鈥檓听grateful for her friendship, leadership, and support. She should be听very proud听of the lasting impact she has made in Canada and around the world,鈥� Melanie added.听
At the end of her career, Marie shares a note of gratitude听
Looking back at her career, Marie says it has been an honour to work with so many mentors, friends, and leaders听who have inspired and supported this work.听
Marie says she wants to thank the people at the heart of this movement.听
鈥淐ommunity leaders in Built for Zero are remarkable 鈥� not because the work is easy, but because they choose to lead where the work is hardest. They take systems that most people find听overwhelming, and听turn them into coordinated action. They bring humanity into every room they enter, building trust across agencies, across sectors, and across lived experience. They insist on clarity, on real-time data, on seeing every person by name 鈥� because they know that precision is what makes progress possible,鈥� said Marie.听
鈥淭hey听don鈥檛听wait for perfect conditions. They test, they learn, they adapt, and they try again. They build relationships that change听what91猫先生听possible. They hold a bold vision and make it feel achievable. And听perhaps most听importantly, they create cultures where hope听isn鈥檛听just a feeling,听it91猫先生听a practice. These leaders are proving, community by community, that ending homelessness is not only necessary, but absolutely within reach.鈥�听
Marie says听over the years, she has often thought of a quote by Jim Rohn: 鈥楧on鈥檛听wish it were easier. Wish you were better.鈥�听
鈥淚 hope we have helped in a small way to make this work a bit easier, less lonely, and made us all better in working to achieve our mission to end homelessness,鈥� said Marie.听
Marie retires from CAEH on March 31, 2026.