He lived the struggle. Now he leads the work. A Resilient Futures partner that builds trust through connection

When Shane Joseph starts each day of work at Roots Community Services (Roots CS), he  does so with two mantras: first, people matter; second, the best is yet to come.  

Roots CS provides culturally-sensitive and culturally-affirming programs to the Black, African  and Caribbean (BAC) communities in the Region of Peel and beyond.  

Joseph is well-situated as the CEO of an organization like Roots CS, because he comes from a  place of understanding. “When we talk about a lived experience, I've been there, I've done it,  and I understand community,” he says. "Because I've grown up in poverty, I have worked hard  over the years, not just going back to school, but learning the system, understanding the  challenges.”  

When community members show up at Roots CS, looking for guidance and support, they are  not showing up to a faceless organization. They are showing up to meet Joseph and his team— people that not only value each person that walks in the door, but truly understand the obstacles  they face.   

Roots is just one of 97 organizations participating in Prosper Canada’s Resilient Futures  initiative, a four-year, $60 million national project led by Prosper Canada and funded by the  Government of Canada through the Social Development Partnerships Program – Children and  Families. Its purpose is simple and urgent: make sure people with low and modest incomes can  get access to free, high-quality financial help services in the communities where they live.  

It is clear why Roots CS was chosen as a recipient of this funding. They don’t start and stop at  financial help services. Everything they do is about building a community that truly sets people  up to thrive.  

Their culturally-responsive support line is just one example of how they build a trusting  community environment. “We can tell people the resources in the area so they know that it's  with you, for you, by you,” says Joseph. People call with questions ranging from where to get  their hair braided and where to get a great recipe to questions about financial advisors and  RRSPs.  

“We do not just want to look at taxes," says Joseph. “We want to look at the overall financial  literacy, financial empowerment and financial wealth management picture." 

The harsh reality: Without organizations like these, many people would fall through the  cracks  

Many people face barriers to financial empowerment: confusion, stress, lack of trust, language  barriers, limited access to services, and difficulty gathering documents.  

Community organizations like Roots CS help remove those barriers in ways larger systems  often cannot. Through relationship-building, cultural understanding, local knowledge and  practical one-on-one support.   

"There is a heavy colonial peace around the fact that we don't trust systems,” says Joseph. “We  teach the BAC community that you have the opportunity to change things through your  generation and generations to come.”  

People might think, “I haven't done taxes for five, six years because I don't want the government  in my business,” explains Joseph. So Roots CS does something that Joseph explains is like a  “transformation of the mind” to guide people to change their way of thinking and see how  systems can benefit them.  

Taxes provide equity, but often the pressure of tax time is what stops people from filing  

Filing taxes is often the gateway to benefits, credits, and other financial supports. It’s one  important way to get money into the hands of people that need it. But often lack of trust or a  feeling of pressure stops people from filing.   

At Roots CS, they take the pressure off. “We say to them, ‘we're not going to do the taxes, just  during the period of March and April,” says Joseph. “We're going to do year-round taxes,  whenever you feel.’”   

Because they have those pre-existing relationships with the community, they can slowly help  people shift their thinking and see that it’s not just benefits they stand to gain, but an overall  empowerment when it comes to financial literacy.  

Roots CS offers credit management, understanding savings and expenses, income and  expenditure analysis and cost-benefit analysis. “We are helping to empower people, transform thinking and build community.” 

And they do so with a trauma-informed approach. “Our programs are not only culturally  responsive, not only are they culturally adaptive, not only are they also culturally relevant, but  they are also trauma informed,” says Joseph. “There is reciprocity in terms of you feeling  comfortable, me feeling accountable, and ensuring that in this space, people can have all the  things that they need to thrive, to excel and to achieve.” 

Community partners like Roots CS help build confidence, reduce barriers, and set people  up to thrive  

Real impact comes from investing in the organizations that already know their communities  best. This is evident at Roots CS, not only in the work they do, but in the people behind that  work.   

“I rise every morning with every sense of gratitude and I look towards the universe and my  ancestors,” says Joseph. "My entire ethos is around helping people who are struggling, who are  fighting to make ends meet, who need the empowerment, who need to move from resiliency to  thriving.” 

Learn more about Resilient Futures and the 97 community organizations across Canada that are participating.