The housing and homelessness crisis took center stage on Wednesday as the University of Saskatchewan brought together community members and organizations with the hope of making positive changes for those who are unhoused.
For Colleen Hamilton, being part of the event at Station 20 West, designed to tackle the housing crisis, is one way she can ensure a better future for herself and others.
“I’ve never been unhoused, but I was two weeks [away] from being unhoused because of working; you always gotta figure out where you’re going to pay your rent next month,” Hamilton told CTV News.
She’s been in a wheelchair for seven years and knows that finding safe housing is a challenge. She hopes to help others by starting a directory of accessible and affordable housing.
“They have a lot of issues to begin with, to find a house; now try to find one that is workable for a disability. Even a stove for cooking is too high to reach,” she said.
Stories like Hamilton’s are adding to the hundreds of others. This winter, 1,500 people were identified as being homeless in Saskatoon. It’s this reality that makes homeless advocate David Fineday encouraged by the event.
“I lost too many friends. Last year, one of them passed away on my floor in my house, and I was in shock for eight days, but that’s what made me jump in headfirst to this – not to lose more people.”
Groups represented at the meeting include the Saskatoon Open Door Society, Saskatoon Tribal Council, Saskatoon Foodbank, Saskatoon Police Service, Prairie Harm, and others.
“They were all working by themselves before; now we’re trying to get them together and say, ‘Hey, let’s get something in motion here,’” Fineday said.
The gathering was organized by the Lived Expert Advisory Council, which operates under the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) at the University of Saskatchewan.
“It was designed by those who have been through homelessness, and we will talk about key issues, and it won’t end here,” Isobel Findlay, Research Lead with CUISR, told CTV News.
In addition to bringing much-needed awareness to the housing crisis, this meeting is hoped to make the community realize that everyone needs to step up to combat the issue.
“Governments won’t act unless we say this needs to be addressed; this is a crisis, a crisis of human rights,” Findlay said.
The plan is to take the findings developed from the nearly 100 people taking part and create an action plan with follow-up workshops and training.
