 Doing this work, we've learned a lot about homelessness. Coming face to face with individuals has sometimes challenged our unconscious ideas of what homelessness looks like. Sometimes, still, we come up against some misconceptions that can distract from the solutions to the affordable housing crisis, and be downright harmful. Here are a few myths about homelessness. Myth #1: It Costs too Much to End HomelessnessActually, it costs too much to leave things as they are! In 2013 The State of Homelessness in Canada reported that Canadian taxpayers put out $7.05 billion on services used by individuals experiencing homelessness (emergency shelters, police and medical services, and the criminal justice system). In Simcoe County's recent enumeration individuals reported using emergency services an average of 21.7 times in a 6 month period. A 2005 study showed jails and hospitals cost $66,000-$120,000 per person per year, and emergency shelters as much as $42,000. In contrast, transitional and supportive housing costs $13,000-$18,000, and affordable housing only $5,000-$8,000. Although there would be an initial cost at the outset during the overlap of services, the overall benefit is clear. Myth #2: Affordable Housing Will Ruin My NeighbourhoodLet's face it. We have enough property to end homelessness. But a large number of people don't want to do anything about it. Yes, if it goes somewhere else. But "not in my backyard"! Yet there is no evidence to suggest that affordable housing does anything to lower property values or raise crime rates—the two major concerns for homeowners. An overwhelming number of studies found no impact on property values or even increased values. And increased crime was not a significant factor either. This is true especially where the design of the housing aesthetically matched the surrounding neighbourhood and where there was strong property management. Myth #3: Homelessness is a ChoiceThis is a tricky one. Each person is responsible for their own choices, and there is certainly an extent to which those choices can affect an individual's ability to be housed. But looking at the data from the homelessness enumeration report, there are trends that show up—obstacles that seem stacked up in the way of escape from homelessness. Close to a quarter of people polled had emerged from the foster care system, having experienced homelessness already by that point. Another quarter were fleeing domestic violence, faced with the impossible choice of staying housed or gaining personal safety. 20% were youth aged 13-24, and of those 29.5% identified as LGBTQ+. 35% struggled with their mental health, and a staggering 70% with issues affecting their physical health. Combine those obstacles with a serious gap in earning, high rental prices, and lack of affordable housing, and the system seems designed to keep individuals homeless despite their best efforts to rise out of poverty.  So what can we do in the face of all this? We can start dispelling these myths, for a start. We can set an example each in our own small way by welcoming new affordable housing in our neighbourhoods, building open community with individuals different from ourselves, donating to initiatives that support affordable housing options, and speaking up for legislation and budgeting that works to alleviate poverty and homelessness. For more information, check out these resources:
This is a guest post by Jennifer van Gennip, Redwood's Director of Communications and our representative at the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH).  As we get closer and closer to opening the doors on our motel conversion, a project in partnership with the David Busby Centre, some of our support community may be wondering what a "Housing First" community is all about, and how a person might qualify to live at Lucy's Place.
If there's one thing that we do well at Redwood (Ok, we do lots of things well, but this one is the most important) it's community. So when it was time to host a night to raise funds for our Hope through Housing capital campaign, we made it a community affair. Like a neighbourhood barbecue...if your neighbourhood is all of Barrie.  Photo Credit: Snapd Barrie
Not so long ago, I had an uncomfortable but necessary conflict with a friend. She pushed away my attempt to reconcile with her afterward, saying, "I guess my life just isn't all rainbows and unicorns." I went away with mixed feelings. I felt like she was trying to get a dig in there, trying to tell me that I was out of touch and privileged. For one, my life definitely hasn't always been wonderful. I've had my own private struggles and hardships. But then I started thinking about rainbows and unicorns and I came up with some realizations. 
Today, for Earth Day, we have an insightful guest post by 17 year old Elijah Kent, a multi-talented scholar, athlete, and musician and all-around good guy. If you recognize his last name, it's because he's Tim and Rhonda's eldest son.  Last year, my school took a day in the spring to go out into the city and pick up trash in the downtown area. We cleaned parks, sidewalks, gardens, and parking lots; collected cigarette butts, beer cans, wrappers, old McDonald’s coffee cups, and all other manner of waste (some that one hopes never to encounter)! While we were in one of the downtown parks, I noticed a large, middle-aged woman sitting on a park bench. This woman had clearly experienced devastating loss that had left her in a state of hopelessness. She was, as we say, homeless.
Now, the thing about homelessness is that it is a societal issue that ranks right up there with gender and race inequality and world hunger. Some of the world’s most brilliant minds and compassionate hearts have worked tirelessly to completely eliminate the issue of homelessness but to date, have fallen short. But, I believe that this is because homelessness is not actually the problem, but rather the symptom of a much deeper problem: lack of community.
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