People living in poverty and experiencing homelessness have been telling us what they need for years. It’s time for governments at all levels to start listening.
When we talk about how to end homelessness and poverty, we must make sure to uplift and centre the voices of the community members experiencing these things in their daily lives.
We need the government to trust that folks within these communities have the right ideas and solutions about what would improve their living situations.
One key solution is to provide more publicly owned housing where rent amounts are geared to a household’s income. The private housing and rental market are not affordable to people with low incomes. Including, but not limited to, people on EIA or Disability.
We need the government to ensure that the income support system provides high enough benefits for people to meet their basic needs for food, transportation, and childcare, among other things, as well as cover rent costs.
Community members at the West Central Women’s Resource Centre came together to tell us what genuinely affordable housing and an adequate income would mean for them. We promised to share their answers with decision-makers in government.
Find out what they have to say by downloading a copy of the ‘zine here.