Hope Grande Prairie Uses Restore Hope Model to Strengthen Families

A new wave of collaboration is taking root in Alberta, Canada. Hope Grande Prairie (Hope GP) has officially launched, marking a transformative moment for how families in crisis receive support.

“HOPE GP is not just a single program or service," shared Mayor Jackie Clayton at the official launch celebration. "It’s a system change that is innovating how organizations and our community can work together for stronger, greater, more collective impact.”

Led by Odyssey House, in partnership with Restore Hope, Hope Grande Prairie brings the HopeHub technology platform to Canada for the first time. This secure, consent-based online system allows service providers to coordinate care, communicate in real time, and securely share client information. The result: families no longer have to repeat their stories to multiple agencies, reducing re-traumatization and helping providers deliver more connected, compassionate, and effective care.

“HopeHub is more than a tool—it’s a bridge,” shared a representative from Family and Community Support Services, one of 33 local partners now using the platform. “The county’s Family Community Support Services is among 33 local partners actively using this platform, helping close service gaps, reducing barriers, and ensuring that individuals and families receive the care and support they need when they need it most.”

During the launch event, community leaders, organizations, and residents gathered to celebrate a shared commitment to collaboration. Attendees were invited to physically sign the Hope Grande Prairie Declaration—a visual symbol of unity and action.

"It’s just stating that you agree that we all need to work together" said one speaker, "—an opportunity to be part of that change.”

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton praised the collaboration for its forward-thinking, community-first approach.

“They have been out in front of this, bringing the agencies together—their commitment and dedication for improving connections and supports for local families. That’s really what this comes down to: support for local families,” Clayton said. “This network shows the power of shared vision."

She continued,

“By supporting each other, we can support our communities and the families who call this region home, while strengthening the social fabric across our region. With its focus on collaboration, innovation, and data-driven coordination—and most of all, hope—we believe that we will continue to celebrate Hope GP not just today, but in the years ahead. It will build a stronger, more supportive, more connected local community and set a standard for communities across Canada.”

For Shawna Lefecit, founder of Eagle Path Healing Society, the mission behind Hope GP hits close to home.

She shared the story of a woman trapped in a cycle of domestic violence—a mother of three who, after four long years, finally found the courage to leave with the support of a women’s shelter. But even then, something was missing. The same painful pattern had stretched across three generations, repeating itself until someone finally stepped in and said, “We can help you.”

Lefecit revealed that the woman was her grandmother and expressed the support and determination it took on her part to break free of that legacy.

“It takes everyone coming together to see that change and stopping those cycles, because they’re going to keep going if we don’t,” she added. “And I think that’s why we’re all here today—to break those cycles, end violence, end homelessness, end hunger, help parents when they need it, and that’s what’s important: to give hope.”

Paul Chapman, Executive Director of Restore Hope, shared how the HopeHub platform and its collaborative model have transformed outcomes for families across Arkansas—and how those lessons are now being adapted in Grande Prairie.

“We started down the road of developing a set of tools. In Arkansas, it’s known as the 100 Families Initiative, that 19 counties now have adopted,” Chapman explained. “We call it more broadly the Restore Hope Model, where you form an alliance in a community—all coming together in your unique ways and with your unique services—to help an individual move from crisis to stability, and hopefully on to career.”

He emphasized that HopeHub not only connects agencies, but also tracks long-term outcomes.

“This gives the ability then, in a longitudinal way, to figure out—in food security, for instance—what does that look like six months, twelve months down the road?”

Canadian artist and humanitarian Paul Brandt closed the event with a simple but powerful reflection:

“Grande Prairie is showing Canada what it looks like to lead—and to refuse to look away.”

Hope Grande Prairie represents more than a project—it’s a promise. A promise that every person in crisis has a network ready to walk beside them, and every organization has the tools to work better together.