Episode Host: Julian Ichim
Listen here: CKMS News – 2020-04-27 – Tent City for Immediate COVID-19 Response

On Today’ s show we feature a report back from the April 15th 2020 community organizing meeting in Kitchener to address the Coronavirus pandemic in respect to the homeless population, and implement immediate measures to mitigate the impacts. The meeting was held at the LOT 42 events and conference campus, and among other things, concluded with the announcement of the establishment of a tent city on the LOT 42 property.

We then speak with Nadine Green, Heather Majaury, and Ron Doyle, about the Lot lot 42 site which will be used to house people, as well as run programs that help poor people. The site includes a tent city in the court yard as well as a building with washrooms sports facilities a movie room and common area.

Nadine Green was a downtown store owner who used her store as a place to house homeless people as well as provide them with employment until the city and other forces forced her to shut down. As a result of this resistance was built and Heather Majaury came on board as an indigenous activist who found common cause with Nadine in terms of the plight of homeless people. This collaboration touched the heart of Landlord Ron Doyle who donated his property, lot 42 for Nadine, Heather and other like minded activists to use to solve the housing crisis.

Ron Doyle did this unprecedented move of donating his land as a result of the fact that the city is not doing enough around the, housing crisis and with the outbreak of Covid 19 homeless people more then ever need a place to go and if the city will not provide this space Ron took it upon himself to provide the space.

For more information on the Tent City, including ways to support it, you can visit the websites: mymothernamedmesunshine.ca/ or civichubwr.org/unsheltered-campaign/

Or on social media on twitter @UnshelteredC and on facebook and instagram at unsheltered.campaign

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This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.