HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has always had a focus on the home visit as our way to best serve our neighbours in need. Indeed, the home visit is the ideal method of Vincentians engaging with those who are living in poverty in our communities. However, there is one glaring component missing in our home visits and that is the fact that those we are visiting have a home, even though it may be a less than adequate housing and those we visit may be weeks away from having to face being homeless. The question is what and how do we engage with those who are homeless.

Can we do better? Can we do more? Do we have the resources to be successful? The answer is YES, we can.

Perhaps we can use our current engagement actions with our neighbours in need, whether the home visit, a community meal, food bank or thrift store to advocate for an end to homelessness.

I’d like to suggest every conference consider using the Neighbour in Need interview project to gather further information about the barriers our friends face. Please consider using the NIN interview project in your conference.

Does your community or other organizations have outreach to the homeless programs? If yes, perhaps you can be part of it. If not, perhaps your conference can start one.
Please support our national housing and homelessness campaign.

Please help our advocacy efforts which are aimed at addressing homelessness across Ontario.

Jim Paddon, Chair PPDD