LETTER TO THE EDITOR
In his out-of-control article on respite centres, Kelly Egan writes about “homeless souls” and the residents forced to act “as watchful social workers over the city’s most troubled people”. Drug paraphernalia of unknown origin was the sole corresponding photography with this article, and more concerning, crime trends were cited without the slightest effort to prove a correlation to the residents of the Tom Brown Arena.
The facts are more helpful: that research consistently shows that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to be victims of crime than people who are housed. That harassment, battery, and sexual violence victimisation all disproportionately affect people experiencing homelessness. That the overall victimisation rates fall when people sleeping outside enter shelters like the Tom Brown Arena.
The language and tactics used in the article rely on harmful stereotypes of our neighbours experiencing homelessness. As a team of people with lived experience of homelessness (myself a Hintonburg resident), my colleagues and I want neighbourhoods to be welcoming and safe for all. It is our hope that Hintonburg achieves this through an evidence-based approach, with the right to adequate housing afforded to everyone . The article cites a resident as saying “that bunch has to go”. Our hope is that the “not in my backyard” rhetoric will be the first to go.
Sophia Kelly-Langer, Hintonburg, on behalf of the Expert Steering Team at the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa
By: Karen Umurerwa, Expert Steering Team Member
Housing and Mental Health in Black Communities
In 2012, my family made the hard decision to move from Rwanda to Canada. The transition from my homeland to Canada was the toughest process I could have gone through. Canada was a land of opportunities, but it was one that was completely foreign to us as we had no friends or family that could ease our integration.
By: Yetunde Amanda Ona
Embracing Identity: The Bonds of the African Diaspora
The following piece was written by Yetunde Amanda Ona who arrived in Canada 6 years ago with her young children as a refugee claimant. She navigated the homelessness system, and is now an Alliance staff member working to create a more effective and dignified housing and homelessness system. These are her reflections on identity and the African Diaspora.
By: Gail Gallagher
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Dec. 6th)
On this day, we remember the innocent lives lost and of the murder of 14 young women at Polytechnique Montréal on December 6, 1989. As a result of this tragic event, December 6 was designated as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
In addition, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begins on November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ends on December 10 with International Human Rights Day. The 16 Days of Activism are an opportunity to come together to speak out and renew our commitment to end gender-based violence.
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