This is an interview that Rev. Cathy Stewart initiated with Kevin Coghill around the situation of the unhoused in Guelph. We have reprinted it with permission. (Cathy Stewart’s voice is in bold, Kevin Coghill in normal text.)
Encampments have returned to St George Square. What are the challenges you see in this, and are you aware of ideas or plans (RCM or the city) to address this need?
There are many challenges with people sheltering in the square, but unfortunately it has taken the visibility of our homeless population to get a response from municipal leaders. This is a Provincial and a National problem but ultimately it is within our city.
RCM is working to address the basic needs of those who are sheltering outside, and we are seeking solutions to meeting the need, however, this is a massive cost. We have been working with the Guelph Tiny Home Coalition to find suitable land to build tiny homes and community space (kitchen, showers etc.).
The city has passed a bylaw that will limit “where, when and how” many people are able to live on public lands, along with a map that outlines these spaces, although the map and parameters of the bylaw have not been fleshed out for the public. The struggle is that the Supreme Court has challenged some of these bylaws in other cities because they go against Human Rights. If the city is to enforce the bylaw, there will be a lawsuit that will cost a significant sum of money that could have gone to a solution instead of a legal battle.
Many people get uncomfortable when seeing people living in tents, minimally housed. What do you see and how do you feel when you see this?
It is very uncomfortable for everyone to see people living in tents. I believe this is a multifaceted response but it should assault our sense of “right and wrong”. It is wrong that people who have trauma and mental health issues, are removed from housing, or banned from shelters, but not admitted into programs that could help. With a 10 year waiting list for both housing and programs we will continue to see this problem grow. People fear those who in living in tents because they see a desperation, a lack of hope and wonder what a person experiencing that kind of hopelessness might do.
I see people who are not valued in society, who, even if they were to find a job, that job couldn’t sustain them because of the cost of living.
I see people that Jesus hung around with and who we are meant to learn from and welcome in.
I see the ones who Jesus says: “You visited Me in prison, clothed Me, gave Me a drink of water.”
I too am uncomfortable…that our systems keep people in poverty….that housing, while declared a Human Right, is not being built for those who are most vulnerable…that we still have a huge stigma around people who struggle with mental health issues and addictions.
And I am uncomfortable that local businesses are struggling in the downtown, although I do not believe this is only due to the encampment situation, but also a change in how people shop, and the amount of disposable income people have.
Many people get uncomfortable when they see people injecting themselves in public. What do you see/feel in that situation?
I also am uncomfortable with people injecting themselves in public and I acknowledge that I have a home to consume a beer so that not everyone sees me partaking.
Some of the people who have come to express their concerns over public drug use, host parties in their own home with excessive alcohol and even designer drugs..they simply have a home to do these things privately.
Most of the drug use we see is a direct result of trauma and a desire to escape the pain that life brings…if we could help address the trauma, we would see less open drug use.
My heart is broken for those who use in open spaces, it is a reminder to me of the pain they experience every day…and of the judgment they receive for dealing with trauma in the only way they know. The terrible reality of this is that the stigma makes drug use worse…people are more and more rejected and most experts tell us that it is community and connection that helps to heal.
You have noted that the current housing crisis is 40 years in the making, and caused by many factors, so there is no quick fix. What do you see as the root of the challenge, and do you know of any models that seem to carry some hope?
There are models in other countries that are working, however, Canada is behind in social housing.
“In January 2023, Scotiabank released a report calling on governments in Canada to double the country’s stock of social housing – deeply affordable housing where rent is set at 30 per cent of household income. Currently, Canada is an outlier amongst OECD countries: social housing makes up about 3.5 per cent of Canada’s housing stock, as compared to the OECD average of 7 per cent.” Canada Centre For Housing Rights.
We need to push all levels of government to address this issue while looking for ways to fill in gaps. I have wondered if the Church could address the hosing issue by taking existing buildings that are underused and transform them into housing (not very popular with churches). RCM has been looking into how our building could become partial housing.
What spiritual practice helps you stay focused and grounded in your work? And/or hopeful?
Contemplative prayer has been very helpful in keeping me focused and grounded, my favorite comes during early morning walks as I mediate on “And God breathed the breath of life upon his face”.
This prayer reminds me that I am made in the image of God.
In the rain…in the snow…in the heat…in every situation, God is breathing the breath of life upon my face. This helps me to see that God is also breathing the breath of life into each person that I encounter…those living in tents…those who are just released from jail…those who are struggling with mental health concerns…those who are uncomfortable seeing tents in the square.
My connection to those who are struggling keeps me hopeful…seeing God’s image hidden…looking for ways to show that person whose image they are made in…knowing that Jesus was criticized for who he hung out with, all help me in my work.