Ryan's Hope, the Barrie Encampment Support Network and Moms Stop the Harm rally to call on City Council to ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home
Posted by Christine Nayler, Contributing Member
Details at a Glance
What:
Housing Solves Homelessness! Rally
Why:
To hold our elected leaders accountable for their responsibility to ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.
When:
Wednesday, November 23, 6:30pm
Where:
Memorial Square (Meridian Place, Dunlop Street Side), Barrie
Who:
Organized by Ryan's Hope, the Barrie Encampment Support Network and Moms Stop the Harm - please direct all enquiries to them
More Info:
Description from Organizers
Ryan's Hope, the Barrie Encampment Support Network and Moms Stop the Harm invite you to join us as we gather together as a community of neighbours committed to action in addressing the root cause of homelessness, a lack of HOUSING!
We will gather at City Hall on Wednesday November 13th at 6:30.
We will gather together to make our voices heard and to hold our elected leaders accountable for their responsibility to ensure everyone in our community has a safe place to call home.
Homelessness is not a crime, it is a policy choice and a policy failure!
We will gather in protest of the Ontario Big City Mayors' recent motion to the Ontario government which Mayor Alex Nuttall is in full support of. (See below.)
This motion calls for forced treatment, involuntary care for people living with mental illness, increased police power to criminalize public drug use and to limit homeless people's right to be in public spaces.
There are many problems with this motion. It does very little to address the root cause of homelessness which is a lack of adequate and affordable housing and it seeks to punish and criminalize poverty.
Furthermore it shows a lack of understanding and complete ignorance by our elected leaders. The whole motion is based on unfounded assumptions that all homeless people are mentally ill and are addicted to drugs. Our elected leaders solution to solving this government made crisis is to lock people up!
Even if everyone who was homeless was mentally ill and struggling with substance use issues, forced treatment and involuntary care is not the answer.
We don't have enough treatment beds for those seeking help voluntarily. People die while on waiting lists for help.
The same goes with our mental health units and community mental health programs.
The solution to solving the homeless crisis is for our elected leaders to live up to their responsibility and start building social housing again!
We need rent geared to income housing!
We need housing to support families!
We need accessible housing for seniors and people with disabilities!
We need supportive housing for people living with complex needs!
We need quick build tiny home communities to get people out of encampments and into housing asap!
We will gather outside of City Hall and make our voices heard, then we will move inside with our signs for a silent protest during the council meeting.
This is from the Ontario Big City Mayors' press release:
The Mayors passed a resolution (full motion here) which included requesting that the provincial government:
Urgently review, consult on, and update the Mental Health Act and the Health Care Consent Act, neither of which address the current state of this crisis across the province.
Implement Diversion Courts throughout the Province, and expand the scope and reach of these courts, with a focus on rehabilitation rather than punitive measures
Along with the federal government, introduce legislation prohibiting open and public use of illicit drugs and public intoxication; and
Review, consult on, and update the Trespass to Property Act with such a review to include but not be limited to options to assist communities in addressing aggressive or repetitive trespass (“repetitive trespass”)
Event Page link
This event is being hosted by Ryan’s Hope, Barrie Encampment Support Network, and Moms Stop The Harm
Immediately following the City Council meeting we will gather back outside for our Solidarity Sleep Out.
In solidarity,
Reverend Christine Nayler (she/her)
Co-founder and Director of Ryan's Hope
Engage Barrie Organization encourages our members and guests to contribute blog posts on a variety of topics that fall under our "equitable, empowered, engaged" umbrella, in the hopes of sharing a variety of perspectives and experiences.
Please be aware that the views and opinions expressed by our blog contributors do not necessarily reflect any official position of Engage Barrie Organization.
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