The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. – Mahatma Ghandi
As we drive around our community – regardless of where in Niagara you live, it’s impossible to not notice the proliferation of people living rough. Tents popping up in different parts of the city – some noticeable, some hidden from prying eyes. People sleeping rough under overhangs, under bridges, in ATM kiosks. It’s no secret that we are in the midst of a housing crisis.
The reality is that we, as a society, have allowed this to happen. We have created a system where the gap between the cost of housing and the income of our vulnerable population is almost insurmountable.
While the knee-jerk response may be to start pointing fingers at who is responsible, the reality is that this serves no immediate purpose. The fact is that the responsibility for our community falls on all of our shoulders – Federal, provincial, regional and municipal governments, private sector, charitable sector and citizens at large.
It is only by working TOGETHER that we will start to see light at the end of the tunnel. The Hope Centre is pleased to be working in collaboration with the City of Welland and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to build a home for 6 individuals here in Welland. Baker House, a deeply affordable supportive housing project, will allow men exiting homelessness to work with The Hope Centre to help address the issues that lead to homelessness and the barriers that kept them from finding housing. Other organizations, including Gateway, Habitat for Humanity and others are also working hard to also create more affordable housing in our community alongside their supporters.
But this work can’t happen without the support of partners – governments, private sector, community members. And it won’t happen as quickly as we would like it to, so things may get worse before they get better.
The challenge is to stay deeply engaged when so many in our community are denied their basic human right to housing. By becoming numb to seeing so many of our fellow community members living rough means that we find it acceptable. And when we find it acceptable, it becomes more and more difficult to move the needle. Housing is a human right, and we need to stand up for the rights of our entire community.
– Jon Braithwaite, CEO