Toronto Musician Richard Todd Joins Forces with WoodGreen Community Services to Tackle ‘The Forgotten Homelessness’ Crisis Through Powerful Charity Single Featuring All-Star Cast
The homelessness crisis in Toronto has reached a critical point, with over 8,000 people experiencing homelessness every night. These individuals often find shelter in the city, while many more grapple with “hidden homelessness,” relying on the generosity of relatives, friends, or strangers with little sense of stability.
The problem is exacerbated by Toronto’s severe lack of affordable housing. The wait for supportive housing is several years long, forcing families to spend over 50% of their income on housing, leaving less for necessities like food and medication.
In response, Toronto-based Richard Todd, best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist for the band Redpath Traffic, has teamed up with WoodGreen Community Services, one of Toronto’s largest social services organizations, to address this urgent problem by creating “The Forgotten Homelessness” charity single with a cast of all-stars.
“I’m incredibly grateful for WoodGreen’s unwavering commitment to this cause,” says Todd, who is also the founder of Warm it Up!, a Toronto-based initiative dedicated to providing essential items to individuals experiencing homelessness. “Our grassroots project aims to raise widespread awareness about homelessness and to support WoodGreen’s UNMET Needs Campaign.”
Notably, several of Toronto’s top indie artists, including Chris Birkett, Michael Quattro, David Moses, Sarah Siddiqui, Anna Goldsmith, Luciana Santaguida, Shari Tallon, Signe Miranda, and Chattrisse Dolabaille, along with singers Esmaeel Abofakher, Rahaf Alakbani, and Osaze Dolabaille, have joined forces with Todd in this collaborative effort, highlighting how poverty has touched even the city’s artistic community.
Highlighting some of the contributors: Chris Birkett, a fellow advocate for homelessness in Toronto, also generously contributed his exceptional production skills to the project. His remarkable musical career includes collaborations with globally renowned artists such as Sinead O’Connor, Alison Moyet, Dexys Midnight Runners, Talking Heads, The Pogues, Bob Geldof, Quincy Jones, Mel Brooks, and Steve Earle.
Expressing gratitude, Teresa Vasilopoulos, Executive Director of The WoodGreen Foundation, adds,
“On behalf of WoodGreen, thank you for this beautiful and uplifting song that highlights the urgent need to provide housing for the unhoused.”
“The Forgotten Homeless” is now available on all major streaming platforms. All royalties will be donated to WoodGreen’s UNMET Needs Campaign.