This past Tuesday evening found the Poverty Team with four panelists, sixty-plus people, and one reporter gathered in the upstairs meeting rooms at the Fleming Centre.
I was so pleased with the crowd, and the panelists were all knowledgeable and well spoken. The evening was a great success. I’m still reading the notes that Rev.Jane so expertly took that evening. There is a lot to unpack, and a lot to do.
One of the issues that made itself abundantly apparent early on in the discussion was the need for affordable, low cost, geared-to-income - whatever you want to call it - housing in Lincoln. There is none and the Region has stated they don’t have any plans to create more than what they have - one apartment building, already full.
The next item of importance would seem to be dealing with he root issue of homelessness… poverty. And to do that requires major change in many of the structures that govern our province and country. And will require a lot of people and energy and time.
There are people who don’t have time for us to find a solution, so we need to make sure that we find those people and get them whatever assistance we can.
Additionally, the need for a medical clinic specifically for serving the health needs of marginalized people… homeless, and refugees, was raised, but that one comes with hope that it will soon be in place through REACH Niagara and whatever partner they can find in LIncoln to make it happen.
Also apparent from the meeting is to make sure that work being done not be duplicated, but specialized. Let those who are able to do the work do it and find other gaps to fill and figure out how to do that.
When the panelists were asked what next steps should be, Rev. Karen Orlandi summed everything up… this is from the notes take that evening:
Karen: on the idea of what you can do. four things
1. See people, care about them, ask their name and how they are doing
2. Work towards a guaranteed livable income
3. change the narrative, homelessness is not a crime, but excessive wealth? We don’t have a homeless problem, but a mansion problem.
4. If you write in cursive, write letters to every politician, write letters and speak up, advocate, talk to everyone.
If you are looking for an in-depth report on the Panel Discusison, please follow this link: https://shorturl.at/caViM
The Poverty Team is taking a bit of time to recover and spend Christmas with family and friends. But we haven’t stopped the planning, we will be right back at it in the new year, with a fury!
Meanwhile, we are sending two members to join a United Church network of people working on the Guaranteed Livable Income issue, with an eye to prepare for whatever is coming Ontario’s way politically and find a way to make a Guaranteed Livable Income a thing, not a dream.
If you are interested in participating in anything we are doing, or you know of something we should be doing, please email me at herhomeisatent@gmail.com. Use the same email if you wish to join a list of people to email when we are looking for volunteers. It is going to take a lot of people and a lot of energy to make anything happen.
I have a few irons in the fire and plans perking in my head. I don’t think any of them will be as big a “Her Home is a Tent” and living homeless again. The recovery time is turning out to be much longer than I ever would have thought - in fact, I never even thought that I might need time to recover!
(Sorry about weird font… can’t fix!)
I sign off today with a quote from Rev. Karen Orlandi that I think will give me power and energy for many more years, or until things are better…
People’s lives are at stake, and they are dying.
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