Claire Dadoun

Claire Dadoun

2017 Innovation Award - Greater Toronto

Residential Counsellor at Porter Place Men’s Shelter

Blue Door Shelters

Nominator Comments:

Claire has been a driver of new ideas and change both for her agency and its residents for more than five years. She often takes the lead on programs that help her clients thrive, including the “housing start-up basket” initiative, which removes some of the burden of moving into new accommodations by helping clients secure furniture and other household goods.  Claire listens closely and is able to come up with special projects that meet the unique needs of shelter residents. She’s also continually committed to challenging biases and assumptions, including the time she organized an information session with the AIDS Committee of York Region to educate residents and staff on misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. Claire is also a creative, “out-of-the-box” thinker who knows the value of using fun techniques like trivia to help create a community space where education and open discussion are welcome.

To quote her nominators: “Claire is one of those rare people who truly understands what it takes to be a social worker and does these wonderful things on a daily basis without the expectation of recognition or financial reward.”

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