Projects To Date

Homelessness Library

Studies and articles are collected on an ongoing basis and are available for review. If interested in reviewing, please contact the Homelessness Coordinator at 729-0121.

The library currently contains the following documents:

Homelessness and Housing Plans:
Brandon Affordable Housing Study
• November 2000
• WESTARC Group Inc.

Housing In Brandon
• Economic Development Board
• 2003

A Discussion: The Need for Transitional Housing and Advocacy for Homeless and Vulnerable Individuals in our Community
• Knox United Church Outreach Committee
• Brandon Social Planning Council
• November, 2001

Homelessness in Brandon: Solutions and Recommendations
• Rural Development Program
• Prepared for the Brandon Social Planning Council
• 2001

A Guide for Developing Neighbourhood Plans
• Manitoba Intergovernmental Affairs & City of Winnipeg
• March 31,2002
Grande Prairie Housing Plan
• 2003-2006

Saskatoon Community Plan for Homelessness and Housing
• 2001

William Whyte Neighbourhood Housing Plan
• 2001

Spence Neighbourhood Housing Plan
• Spring, 2002

North Point Douglas Neighbourhood Housing Plan Highlights
• 2003-2008

Homelessness Articles & Studies:
Raising the Roof
• From Street to Stability: A Compilation of Findings on the Paths to Homelessness and Its Prevention
• June, 2001

Vancouver Sun Homelessness Series “No Fixed Address”
• No year-round shelter to house Surrey’s homeless
• Homelessness a bigger problem elsewhere
• Homelessness won’t gain much from boost to social housing
• Dumpster diving thrives in city
• Mentally Ill hit hardest by homelessness
• Shelter’s busier than ever with families, working poor

Connecting Vulnerable Youth
• A Municipal Leader’s Guide

Homelessness: Federal Government Initiative, Nov. 3, 2003:
Outline of Initiative

Local Articles / News Releases / Terms / Government:
Brandon Sun
Wheat City Journal
News Releases
Terms

Brandon Community Action Plan on Homelessness:
February, 2002 Community Plan
April, 2004 Community Plan

Women and Homelessness and Housing:
Prairie Women’s Health: Women Need Safe, Stable, Affordable Housing: A Study of Social, Private and Co-op Housing In Winnipeg
• Women’s Health Clinic
• February, 2004

No Room of Her Own: A Literature Review On Women and Homelessness
• Research Report
• CMHC
• November, 1996

Personal Experiences

Rene Martens and Melanie Michalchuk from the Psychiatric Nursing Department at Brandon University completed a project on homelessness. They were able to have a conversation with a man who struggled with homelessness. Below is the article they have written:

To be homeless is to be shunned and devalued. To be homeless is to be considered a burden on society. To be homeless is to be forgotten. Many are hidden away in windowless shelters, often ignored and feared on the streets and seldom if ever listened to.

Sometimes it is necessary to put a face to the word homeless. This article has been written to provide that. I will now tell you John’s story.

John, a robust man of middle age sits looking very distinguished and almost fatherly in a pair of reading glasses that he had just purchased for a couple of bucks off the street. He does not fit the homeless profile. He was not dressed in rags and he looked like just another face in the crowd. Although if you met him on the street you would not know that he had been homeless by the way that he was dressed, his story unfolds like many others who have been swallowed up by the horrors on the street. John had what could be called the typical “Canadian” dream. He was married, owned a home and was employed. One fateful day all that changed. Before he had time to realize, he had lost it all and found himself losing faith in everything that surrounded him. Depressed and finding himself addicted to alcohol his once normal lifestyle was beginning to fade into distant memory. Finding himself with no money and home he returned to the streets for survival. Home to John became a cushion under a bridge or the cold damp ground under the evening sky. As many of us were awakening to the smell of our morning coffee, John had already begun his long task of scouring the city streets.

Although John has struggled to gain a sense of dignity he had found a way to access support in the community. Today, John no longer sleeps under the stars, although his struggle for permanent housing and financial gain is still an issue that he is faced with on a daily basis.

Canadians should not stop sympathizing, but they might ask themselves why they have so little empathy with the homeless and such reluctance to commit economic resources to impact their welfare. The next time you see someone that is homeless don’t pretend that they don’t exist. They too at one time had a family and home, and just because they don’t have the economic resources that most of us enjoy, they also are human and deserve to be recognized as part of our society.

Rene and Melanie also collected the following quotes from Brandonites who are or have struggled:

“It was the middle of January and I had just the clothes on my back.”

“I was told if I broke the law the police would take be somewhere warm” (Ron, 35 years old).

“I collected cardboard and paper to use as a blanket to keep me warm at night.”

“At one time I was married and owned a house and now I have nothing.”

“The streets are dangerous, you don’t know the next time you are going to get rolled” (John, 60 years old).

Links

• Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation
• National Homelessness Initiative
• Raising The Roof
• Shared Learnings
• Homelessness In Canada
• Grassroots
• CMHC
• Homes & Communities
• Manitoba Family Services & Housing
• National Coalition for the Homeless
• ContactMB

Canadian Association of Food Banks - http://www.cafb-acba.ca