About Me

As someone who coordinates weekly outreach and advocates for houseless communities in Toronto, I have built my life around grassroots work and the relationships I’ve developed through it. I am committed to using the empathy and skills I’ve gained through both lived experience and outreach to support people on the street.

While I have not personally experienced houselessness, I actively support individuals in navigating complex systems and accessing services. I connect with people on a personal level, building strong, trust-based relationships grounded in understanding. My experience working directly with houseless neighbours and within encampments has strengthened my de-escalation and care skills, allowing me to effectively support individuals in crisis.

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Advocating for housing rights, accessible services, and harm reduction is central to my work. I have participated in town halls and city meetings to speak on issues affecting houseless communities. I understand the frustrations within the system, as well as the reasons some individuals choose to remain on the streets while others enter shelters despite safety concerns. I believe in everyone’s right to safer drug use and have supported individuals by staying with them to ensure their safety. I value relational work deeply and believe that making someone feel heard and seen is a critical part of outreach.

I consider myself a strong organizer and natural leader. I respond quickly to time-sensitive callouts from houseless individuals and follow up with city staff and service providers to recover belongings or clarify next steps after shelter placements. I am passionate about creating accessible community spaces that have a real, material impact—such as organizing free markets.

Serving the Communityvector

Above all, I am deeply committed to serving and building community with people on the streets. Being able to support others through both practical resources and meaningful human connection is what grounds me in my purpose.

Coordinate weekly grassroots outreach supporting houseless communities in Toronto
Built strong, trust-based relationships with individuals through consistent, on-the-ground engagement
Use empathy and lived experience to support people navigating crisis situations on the street
Assist houseless individuals in navigating complex social and support systems
Skilled in de-escalation and providing care during high-stress or crisis encounters
Advocate for housing rights, accessible services, and harm reduction initiatives
Actively participate in town halls and city meetings to advocate for houseless populations
Understand systemic barriers and the reasons individuals may choose streets vs. shelters
Support safe drug use practices and prioritize safety by staying with individuals when needed
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My Experience

Hi, I m Mariam Bebawy

Experience

A passionate and dependable individual with 9+ years working in diverse client-focused service settings, where practicing de-escalation through trauma- informed intersectional lenses is an asset. Strengths in coordinating and leading in grassroots organizations for 2+ years. Adept in advocating for houseless populations, with a special empathy toward women. Proficient at planning and executing community events and fundraisers, resulting in accomplished goals.

  • 2022 - PRESENT
    Community Organizer, Toronto — Lead coordinator and outreach worker

    ● Building Community Connections: Implementing regular community outreachto unhoused encampments and underserved neighbourhoods; Distributingsupplies and inquiring about community needs.

    ● Deep Empathy Towards Vulnerable Populations: Prioritizing needs ofmarginalized houseless populations; Building deep and lastingrelationships with womxn who’ve been abused on the streets; Activelylistening to the stories of houseless people and meeting them where theyare at.

    ● Advocate: Speaking up for houseless populations at city halls; Mediatingbetween Toronto Police and houseless folks to avoid arrest; Supportinghouseless folks in receiving shelter spots by communicating with cityworkers

    ● Harm reduction: Familiar with different drugs on the street as well aschanges in drug supply; Staying in intimate settings with folks whilethey use drugs to ensure safety; performed CPR successfully

    ● De-escalation and care: Staying with folks, for hours at a time, goingthrough mental episodes to ensure their safety and minimize harm; Keepinga calm but firm voice of reason for folks who are able to receptiveduring episodes; Mediating between different folks on the street whenconflict arises

    ● Mutual Aid: Taking the lead on organizing consistent mutual aid throughoutreach and free markets; Coordinating and advertising on social mediato collect donations; Raising funds through fundraisers.

  • Jun'24 - Aug'25
    Newcomer Information Centre, North York— Office Administrator

    ● Time Management: Managed time-sensitive tasks and followed up withclients and coworkers to ensure all necessary documentation for auditsand monthly reports were acquired.

    ● Customer Service through a Trauma- Informed Lens: Provided services toclients through an intersectional lens based on their immigration status,gender, country of origin, and one on one interactions with them.

    ● Team Player: Took on additional tasks outside of standard job description to support my colleagues, as staff turnover was constant.

    ● Systems Management: Maintained and updated databases for over 250 clients on a monthly basis using Salesforce and Excel.

    ● Clear Communication: Responded to emails and phone calls, and received incoming deliveries from couriers daily to ensure all information was clear and smooth.

  • Dec'24 - Apr'24
    Women’s Refugee Community Centre, Greece— Women’s Space Lead

    ● Organizing in Intimate Settings: Oversaw and led stress-free activities such as yoga, nail painting, cosmetic activities, sewing, henna; Ensured that everyone had an activity they enjoyed available for them; Kept space clean and easy to independently use for visitors.

    ● Inclusivity: Actively made efforts to include women of different languages by organizing activities that did not require language; Interpreted between Arabic and English; Watched over and played with children to relieve women from childrearing responsibilities.

    ● Understanding Intersectional Harm on a World Scale: Spoke to womxn, sometimes through google translate, about their experiences as asylum seekers; Researched the systemic harm caused by the EU in furthering oppression of asylum seeking womxn; Bore witness to the unliveable conditions of refugee camps.

  • Set'19 - Sep'21
    ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

    ● Volunteering at Maloca Community Garden, North York

Education

Toronto Metropolitan University — Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with Honours
September 2019 - June 2023
Humber Real Estate — Real Estate License

Skills

Multitasking and Attention to Detail: Ability to take on multiple initiatives and organize proficiently at once.
95%
Empathetic and Intuitive: Gained experience from formal and informal methods of learning to work with any demographic empathetically.
85%
Software Proficiency: Google Workspace, MS Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, Salesforce, ICARE, McKesson, Shopify, Canva.
93%
First Aid and CPR certified.
92%
G Lisence
100%

Community Leadership & Outreach

Community Leadership & Outreach

Grassroots Coordination: Organize and lead weekly outreach initiatives and community "free markets" to provide accessible material support to unhoused neighbors.

Emergency Response: Act as a reliable first responder to urgent call-outs from the community, demonstrating a high capacity for natural leadership and time-sensitive organization.

Case Navigation: Support folks in navigating complex social systems, including following up with city officials and service workers to recover seized property and clarify shelter pathways.

Advocacy & Systemic Knowledge

Public Advocacy: Active participant in City Hall and Town Hall meetings, advocating for housing rights, expanded harm reduction, and more accessible social services.

System Literacy: Possess a deep understanding of the systemic barriers and safety concerns that influence why individuals may choose encampments over traditional shelter systems.

Harm Reduction Commitment: Committed to the principles of safe consumption; experienced in providing direct, person-centered support and monitoring to ensure the safety of folks using drugs.

Interpersonal Skills & De-escalation

Relational Care: Prioritize "relational work" to ensure individuals feel seen and heard, building deep-rooted trust and authentic connections with those living on the street.

Crisis Management: Highly proficient in de-escalation techniques, refined through consistent interaction with individuals experiencing acute crisis or high-stress situations.

Empathetic Engagement: Leverage strong communication skills and lived experience to build rapport with strangers, focusing on dignity and mutual respect.

Core Values

Purpose-Driven Service: Deeply grounded in a personal mission to serve the community and create tangible, material improvements in the lives of Toronto’s unhoused population.

Trust-Based Relationships: Expert at fostering long-term relationships that serve as a foundation for effective advocacy and support.

Mariam Bebawy © All Rights Reserved 2026