A photographer tells the story of why her father chose to live on the streets on Montreal But the calm didn’t last. They moved to the country north of Montreal after college. Phil’s illness began to creep back. He started hearing voices, and his behaviour grew volatile and aggressive. He couldn’t hold down a job, [...]
homelessness
Helping Homeless Save Pays Off
From the Toronto Star …an innovative money management and savings program that rewards shelter residents with $3 for every $1 they save up to a maximum personal savings of $400. The money must be used to obtain rental housing. How it works The Independent Living Account program, which has helped about 300 people in eight [...]
Fees to fight homelessness
This is an interesting idea that is being used in New Jersey The County Homelessness Trust Fund Act, which went into effect in 2009, allows participating counties to put a $3 surcharge on basic transactions like recording mortgages, deeds and other documents with the county clerk. The money is used for homeless services the county [...]
My Name Is Not "Those People"
You have no idea how much I hate the phrase “Those People” when referring to the homeless and the poor… or anyone actually. I find it so incredibly offensive, especially when used by Christians and church leaders I know because it’s so theologically vulgar and yet I hear it all of the time. This poem [...]
Can I have my dog back?
A couple of years ago I had just become the residential coordinator at the Salvation Army Community Services in Saskatoon and we had this guy sleeping on the front steps of the chapel. He wouldn’t come inside because he had a dog (it wasn’t a dog but that part will come later) and couldn’t bear [...]
The Complex Story of Poverty in Saskatoon
Over the last couple of months I have had a lot of conversations off the record or as background on stories for local and some national media reporters around the topic of addictions, life on the street, homelessness, and poverty. One of the things that comes up is the phrase, “we don’t know how to [...]
The Cost of Homelessness
I had an opportunity to speak as a panel at City Hospital yesterday to a room of social workers on the cost of homelessness. The Star Phoenix did cover a bit of what I talked about in today’s paper. Implementing a plan with the idea that "everything starts with housing" is among the initiatives different [...]
Tax on wealthy to fight child poverty
Ed Broadbent is calling on a tax increase to fight child poverty Broadbent, 73, said increasing their taxes from 29 per cent to 35 per cent would put billions more toward eliminating child poverty, increasing the amount spent by $3.7 billion. “With just that single move we would double the amount given for the national [...]
Homelessness in Canada
The Salvation Army released their national study on homelessness today. According to Canwest News Service According to the survey, almost all shelter users said they want to move into permanent housing, while nearly half reported mental health problems or alcohol or drug addictions. On average, shelter users have been homeless for three years and the [...]
