We often get overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of problems facing our world today. When we see the big picture, it is often hard for us to come up with solutions that might help us find hope in our world today. I can get caught in this trap and realize that not much good comes from getting stuck in a place that offers little in the way of solutions to problems facing us today. Some of work I do, involves helping our city (London, Ontario) find safe, affordable housing for the hundreds of people who are in search of a place to call home. These are people who have limited income, face enormous barriers to work, child care, and education. Some are paying 50 to 60% of their income on housing. Some live with mental illness, others are unable to work until their young children are in school, because they cannot afford child care.
These are barriers individual people struggle with each day. To help improve changes for these people, there are many in our city who are trying to increase the stock of housing for the hundreds of people who are in need. I belong to a small non-profit housing group. We are all volunteers, and what we have learned over the years is that nothing seems to be able to move ahead quickly. One of my observations is that getting to a “how” to make housing available happens at a policy level at all levels of government but that alone is not enough. Our local communities also need to invest in housing issues to assist some of our vulnerable citizens. Gatherings where both policy makers and local communities can work together to help design solutions that work in each community could create the change needed to make housing happen more quickly. One size does not fit all. I wonder if bringing multiple stake-holders together with the shared goal of finding or creating more affordable housing might be a new approach with better outcomes. I think it is worth a try.
Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ | London Affordable Housing Foundation
London, Ontario