Pair of WLU researchers to host trio of events in March to discuss homelessness
Posted Mar 1, 2023 06:15:00 PM.
“I think we're in a really important moment in this region's history to do things differently.”
Erin Dej, assistant professor of Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University will be joined by assistant professor of Political Science, Laura Pin, to present their years of research to the public, and have meaningful discussions about homelessness during three very different community events over the course of March.
Dej told CityNews 570 that most of her research involved studying homelessness and social exclusion while working with people with lived experience. However, she explained how she's made a shift in the past three years.
“Most recently, over the past three years, I've been looking, along with a great team of people, at how mid-sized cities are responding to homelessness. We have a lot of research and we know a lot about how big cities are responding – like Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal – but not all of those strategies and resources translate to mid-sized communities.”
According to Dej, a mid-sized city has a population between 52,000 and 500,000.
Looking at the events though, the first one takes place Thursday, March 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and it is called Inspiring Conversations: Addressing Homelessness in our Communities.
The session will be more of a general overview of the issue, with Dej focusing her talk on the broader picture, while Pin will be sharing her expertise on all-things encampments.
Dej stressed that they will not be presenting their findings for too long.
“The idea of the event is for it to be really interactive, so about half of the time is devoted to questions and discussion between myself and Laura, and participants. So people, bring questions and conversations because that's the objective of the event.”
Manager of homelessness and supportive housing with the Region of Waterloo, Chris McEvoy will moderate the session entirely on Zoom.
The second event covers a prevalent topic in Waterloo Region at the moment, titled Charter Rights and the Encampment Ruling: What Does it Mean for Waterloo Region and Beyond?
This virtual event is scheduled for the following Tuesday evening between 6 and 7:15 p.m., and will include numerous guests such as the lead lawyers who represented people living in the encampment, Shannon Down and Ashley Schuitema of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, Charlene Lee, a member of the City of Kitchener’s Lived Expertise Working Group, and Lesley Crompton, a community expert and member of the Unsheltered campaign.
Dej and Pin will still be there and it will be slightly different than the first one
“This one we have a lot of panellists, but there will certainly be space for question and answer,” said Dej. “It is more devoted to hearing from the different panellists who have different kinds of expertise coming from different places of the ruling to have their take on it.”
It's being described as a webinar as opposed to an interactive session, something to keep in mind if you're looking to attend this event on March 7.
Lastly, Staking Our Claim: Charting a Path for Realizing the Right to Housing for Women and Gender-Diverse People will focus on a very specific aspect of this issue, and it will be the only hybrid event.
On Thursday, March 16, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., people can either join on Zoom or attend Laurier’s Research and Academic Centre in Brantford.
“Dr. Kaitlin Schwan, and Marie McGregor Pitawanakwat are coming,” said Dej. “It's really exciting to have the two of them together in a room and to be in Brantford to share this event with us.”
The executive director of Women’s National Housing & Homelessness Network, and the co-chair of the National Indigenous Housing Network will provide an overview of the historical two claims submitted to the Federal Housing Advocate, while discussing the right to housing for women and gender-diverse people.
Dej ended by adding that she's excited for the future of responding to homelessness in the region and hopes that as many people as possible are enlightened by what everyone involved has to offer.
You can learn more about the events and register here.