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Nickels and Dimes:
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2026
2025
Why not let your experts do their work?The City’s eviction notice suggests that local services are actively working with the residents at these locations. These Regionally overseen services are experts in their fields, so why not allow them to continue their essential work, rather than evicting the very individuals they are trying to support?
A Human Rights Approach for the City of CambridgeThese decisions not only undermine the dignity and safety of affected individuals, but also stand in direct contradiction to the obligations inherent in a rights-based response.
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Cambridge City Council Meeting September 23, 2025
It is entirely reasonable—and even necessary—to expect that the City of Cambridge adhere to a Human Rights Approach in its policies and actions, particularly when responding to homelessness and housing insecurity. This expectation is not arbitrary...
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Across the Divide: Challenges of Navigating a Duel Tier SystemNavigating these situations in crisis moments can be, quite frankly, re-donkey-ulous.
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Extreme Heat and Health Impacts
For people living outdoors without ability to stay cool, these dangers are significantly heightened, making forced displacement during heat events a life-threatening act.
The need for elemental relief for unsheltered people is both ongoing and growing at an exponential rate. As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify—including extreme heat, unpredictable storms, and poor air quality—those without shelter face an increase of exposure (direct physical contact & frequency of occurance) to dangerous weather conditions.
The need for elemental relief for unsheltered people is both ongoing and growing at an exponential rate. As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify—including extreme heat, unpredictable storms, and poor air quality—those without shelter face an increase of exposure (direct physical contact & frequency of occurance) to dangerous weather conditions.
Eviction Notice Components
Choosing not to enforce displacement is not the same as condoning their use of the spaces and could at least avoid layering on further harm, disruption, and trauma to the individuals who are already in highly vulnerable situations.
The objective ability to choose from clear alternatives—including the option to at a minimum forgo enforcement—makes eviction unnecessary.
The objective ability to choose from clear alternatives—including the option to at a minimum forgo enforcement—makes eviction unnecessary.
$$ Crunching the Numbers $$:
Budgets & Resources
Evictions deplete local available resources that could instead be redirected toward other areas by all involved.
Evictions result in a significant (and repeated) waste of agency, volunteer, and community member contributions.
Evictions result in a significant (and repeated) waste of agency, volunteer, and community member contributions.
The Political Distractions: Procedural Bylaws
(& Cambridge Council Meeting September 2, 2025)
I do recognize that governance processes matter, but not everyone has the luxury of waiting.
The damage occurring does not pause for these political quibbles — however necessary these processes may sometimes be.
I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added traumas as are being inflicted by these municipally led actions.
There’s a well-worn saying in technology and research: junk in, junk out. If you feed a system faulty information, you’re guaranteed a faulty outcome. The same applies to politics.
The damage occurring does not pause for these political quibbles — however necessary these processes may sometimes be.
I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added traumas as are being inflicted by these municipally led actions.
There’s a well-worn saying in technology and research: junk in, junk out. If you feed a system faulty information, you’re guaranteed a faulty outcome. The same applies to politics.
Cambridge Encampment Evictions - Heat Wave 202
Dear City of Cambridge (CC: Region of Waterloo) RE: Heat Wave Evictions
2024
2022
2021
Looking more at Unsheltered displacement - Blog Post 25/11/21Love, compassion, and positive action! - Blog Post 28/11/21There are so many things I could say, but todays speakers (and attendance) said it best!
Here are todays rally speakers. Hear the heart, strength and compassion as found in their words below. Inspirational! |
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Proposed November 17th, 2021 to Regional Council in seeking temporary solution to homeless displacement
Today I ask that we own these actions, admitting that within our new awareness lay a clear responsibility for their effects, including the further harm and trauma caused via the displacement of these people. I ask that instead of the status quo, we make a different choice - that we choose change, that we choose compassion, that we choose community.
We can't keep shifting the responsibility for these issues that can have life or death consequences.
We can't keep shifting the responsibility for these issues that can have life or death consequences.
2020 & Earlier
Free Transit For Low-Income Individuals - Alliance Against Poverty Forum 2017
The time to hesitate is through (2019)
Mental health and the stigma that often surrounds it
Letter to the Editor:
Closing OneROOF a "Devastating" loss to homeless youth
(The Record, 2016)
Social Justice Housing Rally
(January 25th 2020)
- Me Proposal Jan 13th 2020 Details
- Alliance Against Poverty Supports Local Grassroot Plea For Aid - 2020
- Speaking with Bob Jonkman April 13th, 2020 at CKMS 102.7 FM - Topic: Unsheltered needs and COVID-19 Emergency