From Young Professional to Urban Leader: Sarah Button’s Journey 

When Sarah Button joined the Rooftops Canada Young Professionals program in 2007, she came with a background in architecture but little exposure to the community housing sector. That quickly changed.

Her pre-departure orientation in Ottawa gave her a strong introduction to co-op housing, and her placement in the Philippines immersed her in the local and emerging co-op housing movement. Sarah had the opportunity to observe and learn about new and innovative models of affordable and co-op housing. With the desire to keep learning she extended her internship to nearly a year. She was hosted by a local housing organization, visited a variety of housing developments, engaged in public education work, and built lasting friendships. She also had the good fortune of connecting with a Filipina urban planner working in climate resilience, an encounter that sparked her future career in planning and community housing.

Today, Sarah is the Executive Director of Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC), one of Canada’s largest private non-profit housing providers with 1,700 units for 3,000 residents and ambitious plans for expansion. She credits Rooftops Canada’s Young Professionals program for launching her career in housing:

“Without that internship, I don’t know that I would have ended up in housing. It made me realize there was something I could do with my background that felt values-aligned, important, and urgent.” 

Sarah’s career and leadership continue to reflect the lessons she learned abroad: advocating for herself, valuing inclusion, and applying a global lens and systems approach to local challenges.  And today, her organization, CCOC, is not only a leader in affordable housing but also a proud Rooftops Canada donor, keeping the connection strong. 

Urban October is an opportunity to reflect on stories like Sarah’s, that demonstrate the power that global conversations can have right here at home.