The current housing emergency in Kitchener has local people speaking out over the lack of safety for those who are either working or staying at a homeless shelter in the Waterloo Region.
Paul Tavares hopes to draw attention to the problem of homelessness by spending a week at a time in various Ontario cities as he moves closer to Ottawa.
People who are homeless long for a sense of community. Homeless camps are helping with that.
By: James Wells
BY JOSH VAN OSTRAND Young adults gathered outside city hall in Kitchener on Oct. 3, bringing folding tables with them. In a flurry of activity, they set up containers of silverware, a canteen of water and several hot plates. The group moved quickly as large steaming pots of vegetarian and vegan soups were carried up to the table alongside a slow cooker filled with rice. A dozen people waited … Continued
BY ALEX RIESE According to an Oct. 17 article in the Waterloo Region Record, living on the street is more feasible than staying in rooming houses when you’re living off of disability cheques. That’s the picture painted by Dan Simpson of Kitchener, who chooses to live in a tent in downtown Kitchener instead of living in a rooming house. Simpson was injured after being hit by an SUV in 2012. … Continued
BY JOSH KENNEDY People living on the streets, fighting the cold weather and looking for something to eat are getting help from Hockey Helps the Homeless. The organization was founded in 1996 by a group of Toronto business professionals who decided to make an annual industry hockey tournament into a charity event. It is a volunteer-driven organization that hosts fantasy hockey tournaments in various Canadian cites including Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary, … Continued
BY TONY MCLELLAN This is the first of a two-part series. As the soft-spoken man in the cherry red shirt talked in his calming, rhythmic voice, no one would guess the tragedies he has faced, the psychological terrors that he has overcome in his life. Throughout his youth he experienced the exact opposite treatment that any developing, impressionable young mind should. He suffered many subsequent hardships because of this stress, … Continued
BY CALLIE WRIGGLESWORTH Homelessness is an issue that affects communities all over the world. One company decided to lend a hand. Warehouse One, a clothing store located at the Cambridge Centre, collected gently used jeans from Jan. 27 to Feb. 9. The jeans that were donated went directly to a local charity called ROOF. ROOF (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends) is located at 242 Queen St. S. in Kitchener, and is … Continued
Conestoga Students Inc. leadership ambassadors appeared in their underwear last week, not because it was their birthday, nor because they were participating in the naked mile, but because they care. The student leaders stripped down to their undies for the “No Pants Dance” video, which began airing on CSI TV Feb. 3, to bring attention to youth homelessness in the community. Teaming up with Teens for Jeans Canada, the CSI … Continued
