Category Archives: Blog
Is London on the right track to end Homelessness?
The ‘Whole of Community Response’ and the ‘Encampment Strategy has generated a lot of discussion. And, as tends to happen any time we have change, it has also generated some resistance. I believe this response and the Fund for Change … Continue reading
CIH New York Tour – Day 3 Part 2
Handing Over Power Our final afternoon took us to a combined presentation from Point Source Youth and the Ali Forney Center. Two highlights were learning about authentic leadership from Youth Advisory Boards and their cash transfer study/project. This visit was … Continue reading
CIH New York Tour – Day 3 Part 1
Dysfunctional Zero Day 3 took us out to Hackensack New Jersey for the Bergen County Housing Center. This is a comprehensive service site offering emergency shelter (90 days) but with on-site social assistance, health care, social work, and other services. … Continue reading
CIH New York Tour Day 2
Day 2 morning took is to the Brooklyn Library. Let’s be clear, I frigging love libraries! And librarians tend to be some of the best people. We learned about their outreach program geared towards children experiencing homelessness, particularly their mobile … Continue reading
CIH New York Tour – Day 1 Part 2
The Value of a Place of One’s Own (or An Ode to Permanent Housing) The afternoon of day 1 brought us to Community Access, a large organization providing housing and supports primarily geared towards persons living with mental illnesses in … Continue reading
CIH New York Tour Day 1
I had the opportunity to join the Chartered Institute of Housing’s tour of New York, facilitated by Nick Falvo. I’ll be sharing some reflections from the tour in the next several posts. Day 1 took us to the Bronx, opening … Continue reading
8 Things to Know from Canada’s Point in Time Count
The preliminary results of Canada’s 2020-2022 point in time (PiT) homelessness counts have been released: https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/homelessness-sans-abri/reports-rapports/pit-counts-dp-2020-2022-highlights-eng.html Here are 8 things that stood out to me: Canada is leading the way in facilitating PiT counts that include comprehensive and diverse experiences … Continue reading
Are London’s Homeless Just Being Bussed Here From Elsewhere?
Every city on the planet thinks homeless people are bussed to their city: https://www.vicnews.com/news/ticket-to-ride-no-evidence-homeless-people-are-being-bused-to-your-island-town/ https://www.timminspress.com/news/local-news/agencies-dispel-notion-that-homeless-people-are-being-shipped-to-timmins https://london.ctvnews.ca/council-asks-if-other-cities-bus-their-homeless-to-london-1.6113545 https://www.homelesshub.ca/blog/%E2%80%9Cthey%E2%80%99re-not-here%E2%80%9D-homelessness-mid-sized-cities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B18glzDTob8 https://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/fort-st-john/are-the-homeless-being-bused-to-fort-st-john-5971555 https://kslnewsradio.com/1978367/wyoming-police-say-homeless-people-arent-being-sent-to-slc-on-buses/ However, the reality is far more nuanced. 1) Firstly, as most of these … Continue reading
London Strategic Plan – Housing and Homelessness Recommendations
I have provided London City Council with the following Strategic Plan recommendations: Dear City Council, London, Ontario, Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on London’s next Strategic Plan. As we face a period of unprecedented homelessness in our … Continue reading
Homelessness, Campsites, Fires and Covid
Those living rough in Canadian cities, particularly those who erect campsites or other temporary dwellings, have long been a point of discussion, debate, and contention in media and in politics. The vision to prevent and end homelessness involves everyone finding … Continue reading