We know that homelessness itself is the cause of death for many people who are homeless. People who are homeless also die much younger than the general population. Homeless deaths are a crisis and the issue needs to be addressed. Some of us may be intimidated by politics and policy, and we may not know about the issues in our cities. Here are some ways in which some of us have found useful to help our communities and to prevent homeless deaths.
Please feel free to contact us at torontohmn[at]gmail.com
Join a Local Group/Volunteer – find out which groups in your city are helping in the fight against poverty and homelessness. Here is a short list of resources below.
Toronto
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
Montreal
Vancouver
Donate – Our group is currently working on ways for us to accept donations. Stay tuned.
Petitions – either start one yourself, or search for other people who have put one together. Here is an example of a petition started by Street Nurse Cathy Crowe asking for more funding for shelters and warming centres: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-city-of-toronto
Contacting Politicians – if you wish to write a letter, but don’t know who to contact, here are the links to find out who your local municipal, provincial and federal politicians are:
To find out who your municipal councillor is, click here
To find out who your provincial MPP is, click here
To find out who your federal MP is, click here
Spread the Word – if you read any information in academia or in the media, share it with your friends and family. This can be done via blogs, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media sites. Get the conversation started!
Thank you for your interest and time. By working together, we can end homelessness.