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  • Home
    • Connecting with our WR Municipalities & Local Democracy
    • Human Rights - Leaning in & Learning >
      • A Human Rights approach to encampments - What does this mean?
      • Exploring the Key Principles of "A National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada"
      • Draft Policy – Encampments on Region-Owned Public Lands
    • Living Rough >
      • Living Rough: Warming & Cooling Centres
      • Info Page: Living Rough: Encampments
      • Living Rough: Victoria/Weber Encampment 1.0: Summer Recap
      • Living Rough: Washrooms
      • Unsheltered: Living the Experince
    • Advocacy - Nickles and Dimes >
      • Realizing the Right: Municipal Policy Responses to Encampments - Waterloo Region Snapshot >
        • CAEH Conference Ottawa 2024
      • Cambridge Evictions - Heatwave 2025 >
        • Dear City of Cambridge RE: Heat Wave Evictions >
          • A Human Rights Approach - Dear City of Cambridge RE: Heat Wave Evictions
          • Extreme heat and health- Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions
          • Eviction Notice Components - Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions
          • Charter Rights and Case Law- Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions >
            • Legal Briefcase - Advocacy tools
          • Challenges of Navigating a Dual-Tier Municipal System Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions
          • $$ Crunching the Numbers $$ - Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions
      • Dear RoW: Your Bylaw is Faulty (& Your Politics Kinda Suck) - Seeking Change: Nickels & Dimes
      • Open Letter: ​Seeking aid for Unsheltered in face of current Extreme Weather Crisis
      • WR Women's Shelter - What's going on? Regional Council Meeting
      • 519 Community Collective: Enough is Enough
      • Me Proposal Jan 13th 2020 Details
      • Unsheltered Campaign Letters to Local Municipalities
      • Unsheltered Campaign 2022 Municipal Candidate Pledge
      • My "nickel": Victoria and Weber Encampment
      • Love, compassion and a whole lot of action!
      • As we start having more of the difficult conversations surrounding Unsheltered lives
      • Social Justice Housing Rally
      • On the right to adequate housing
      • Host Bob Jonkman connects with Regan Sunshine Brusse , Anti-Poverty activist with the Alliance Against Poverty
      • The Record: Letter to the Editor re: oneROOF Funding Loss
      • Community Forum: Videos
      • Alliance Against Poverty Supports Local Grassroot Plea For Aid
      • Blue Sky Horse Radio Segment - Martin Asling, Lesley Crompton, And Terry Kaan
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      • June 22nd Regional Council Meeting
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11/25/2021

Looking More at Unsheltered Displacement

It's sometimes hard for me to get my head around the multitude of activity we have locally. We are amazing! 

My attention keeps coming back to the issues we have going on locally atm in terms of the displacement of our local homeless population. 

I keep trying to figure out what that first step towards resolving these challenges is, most immediately and specifically how to best support those who are most literally, right now, without a warm safe place to lay their heads at night, left on our streets lacking other options.

There is no good solution. There are steps we can take. I suggested but one (two but one proposal), others having many times offered options and similar opinions too. Encampments are not a long term solution. No one should be forced to live that way, but right now people are being forced to live that way, because we’ve proven to have no alternatives to offer.  To me this is less about where we should be, what our baseline should be, and moreso about accepting and acting on where we clearly are. 

Tents removed from homeless camp - CTV NEWS - 11/26/21


I can understand how my first request might not be as easy to start with, and if it did seem the right idea would likely need further work.

That said, I find myself stuck on the second listed request of:

“
I ask that the removal of these substitute homes be considered stopped, given that the structures are located on Regional land and not private property.”,

as it seems to remain as a valid and reasonable consideration.

Anything else would take time, time that we no longer have. Time we didn't have already when COVID-19 hit. We started from behind then, and seem to be falling further behind instead of gaining ground. The numbers show that. 

There is logic to it too. Not only does it remove the direct added/enhancement of psychological and physical damage caused in forcing relocation, it also contrubutes positively in multiple ways.  

But a couple to start with: 

  • Increases the stretch of agency and grassroot supports budgets - further respects citizen contributions of aid as well
    • Everytime displacement takes place personal belongings and often tools used to survive are destroyed, lost or damaged. This equates to the cost of replacement falling somewhere. We all know municipal and agency budgets are tight, so why do we continue to drain them this way? 

  • Enables firmer connectivity with those living rough by Outreach staff and volunteers, allowing better trust building and assistance
    • This also reasons to suggest that through the increase of trust built, aid is also then better received and supports themselves are more successful in their provision/offering of assistance


As I continue to explore this topic, I'll toss more out here.

Even if this isn't the perfect solution, and it really shouldnt be, we need to continue these conversations. We can't delay on it any longer, we've waited too long already.

If we are not going to choose to act, not going to make changes in the way we currently treat these citizens, we need to start really asking ourselves more honestly why.  Because we can, it is a choice. 

One being made by those priviledged enough to have a place to call home. 

And Then This Happens at Stirling and Charles in Kitchener....November 26th, 2021


The grassroot community erupted... With Love! - November 28th, 2021 Protest rally

The Work Begins in Council Chambers - Regional Council Discusses the Displacement at Charles and Stirling - 29/11/21


  • Proposed November 17th, 2021 to Regional Council in seeking temporary solution to homeless displacement
  • ​​Speaking with Bob Jonkman April 13th, 2020 at CKMS 102.7 FM - Topic: Unsheltered needs and COVID-19 Emergency
  • "Decriminalize Homeless Encampments in Waterloo Region"
    • ​As sent in August 2021 by Unsheltered Campaign ​
  • ​Stories and Narratives Report on the 2021 Point In Time Count

BECAUSE THERE MUST ALWAYS BE TUNES...


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