In the initial planning, there were hopes that 4,000 people might show up to stand in solidarity with (and bring blankets for) the well over that many homeless individuals braving the cold in our city right now. As we set up in the snow this afternoon, those expectations dropped significantly.
In the end, we did have about 80 intrepid folks out (I made an effort to count them), which was actually pretty amazing given the snowstorm. We also managed to keep our program to 45 minutes so people's feet wouldn't freeze. Martin Kerr and Maria Dunn sang for us, and Jim Gurnett, Nadine Chalifoux, Bernadette Iahtail and Rylan Kafara offered personal reflections and information on the present affordable housing crisis. Lloyd Cardinal and his drummer friends sang for us, and Johnny Lee offered the opportunity to smudge.
Christina (my kiddo) and I periodically led a stomping chant with arm actions to try to keep the crowd warm. "Build Housing!" had everyone's arms over their heads in a roof position, and "Not Shelters" had them crossing their arms over their chests. As you might imagine, it was rather effective at keeping blood flowing on a chilly day. That kind of motion is what folks who stay in homeless shelters have to do when it's cold, walk and swing their arms and stomp their feet, often over 30,000 steps per day. How else does a person stay warm when they're forced to leave their shelter for most of the day only to have mall or transit security chasing them out of public spaces?
Below is today's chant, my first attempt at interactive slam poetry. If you're having a housing rally, you're welcome to adapt it for your own purposes. All of the situations in the verses are experienced by people in our city; I'm making nothing up.
Please consider writing your politicians to demand affordable and supportive housing with rents no more than 30% of peoples' wages. That kind of effort is the only way things will improve for all the people out on our streets across this wintry country...
Housing Heals Homelessness! Build Housing, Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live – Not
Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
1.
Danielle Smith, you gotta help me (Got no place to live)
It's freezing cold here on the
streets (Got no place to live)
Jason Nixon, build me a home (Got
no place to live)
Your shelters force me out to roam (Got
no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
2.
Shelter beds can be worse than a tent (Got no place to live)
And I can NOT afford to rent (Got
no place to live)
There's bugs and thugs and trouble
inside (Got no place to live)
I need a private place to hide
(Got no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)
3.
Our family came from a place of war (Got no place to live)
We’re not sure what we came here for (Got
no place to live)
Our apartment's small, our rent is
high (Got no place to live)
We live so tight; we want to cry (Got
no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
4.
I have a disability (Got no place to live)
There's little accessibility (Got
no place to live)
Medicine -- or a roof overhead? (Got
no place to live)
Can't afford both; there's trouble
ahead (Got no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)
5.
My partner's abusive, my marriage is done (Got no place to live)
I'm on the streets and on the run (Got
no place to live)
We live in my car; it's much too cold
(Got no place to live)
but my daughter's school is across
the road (Got no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
6.
My student loans are way too high (Got no place to live)
I work three jobs and can't get by (Got
no place to live)
Couch surfing's all I can afford (Got
no place to live)
Or homelessness is my reward (Got
no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
(Speaker/Singer -- 5 min)
7.
I broke my leg; boss fired me (Got no place to live)
Depression got the best of me (Got
no place to live)
Addiction's become my best friend (Got
no place to live)
Some days I wish the world would end (Got
no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
8.
Justin Trudeau, you must know (Got no place to live)
You have the funds, just make it so (Got
no place to live)
Sean Fraser, we're tired of this
fight (Got no place to live)
Feds and Province must do what’s
right! (Got no place to live)
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live –
Not Shelters!
Got no place to live – Build Housing! Got no place to live!
Build Housing – Not Shelters!
Build Housing – Not Shelters!
Build Housing – Not Shelters!
Your humble poet, Maria K.
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