On Friday, November 22nd we observed National Housing Day. Our "Ask The Hub" post detailed the history of National Housing Day, a day which dates back to the 1998 State of Emergency Declaration when homelessness was declared a national disaster.
A striking report by Emily Paradis found that nine out of ten families living in Toronto’s aging rental apartment buildings “live in severely inadequate housing that fails to meet basic standards of affordability, suitable size, safety, security of tenure, and healthy conditions”. Emily’s report makes it clear that a national housing strategy is needed now more than ever.
Last week's infographic focused on another important day to mark on your calendars, the Transgendered Day of Remembrance. This is a day to not only remember the contributions of the trans community, but to also remember the adversity which trans people face in regards to housing, employment, and healthcare. Alex Abramovich’s post detailed the ways in which transphobia continues to be a major contributing factor to youth homelessness.
We also observed National Addictions Awareness Week last week. This year, the Canadian Centre for Substance Abuse focused attention on youth drug prevention. Mental illness and drug abuse as well as unstable home and school environments are just some of the conditions youth face that often pressure them into homelessness.
Melissa Goertzen had an interesting post on the digital information gap in Canada, and how projects like Homeless Nation are innovatively figuring out ways to bridge it.
Speaking of bridging gaps, a new report sheds some light on the one between universities and the communities around them. The report studies a pilot project that partnered university students with community agencies to provide flu vaccinations for the surrounding homeless population.
Another interesting bit of research on communities is this report on Pass it Forward. This concept comes out of the Systemic Barriers to Housing Initiative. Pass it Forward is a tool that supports community capacity in eliminating systemic barriers and changing government policies. It does this by identifying the right people and governmental forums for agencies to effectively bring forward proposals for change. It also provides a starting point for dialogue between community actors and decision makers.