PALMERSTON – The Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County (GWLC) is hosting a free screening of Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Mid-size Cities at the Norgan Theatre on Nov. 19 from 6 to 8pm.
“It’s a brokered conversation between individuals with different perspectives on homelessness and poverty in their communities,” GWLC community worker Maddy Smith told the Community News.
The documentary came out of a four-year project supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in collaboration with researchers from Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and York University.
It also included support from 10 academic researchers and three lived experience co-researchers.
“Although it’s about mid-size cities, we really recognize this is a conversation that needs to happen in our rural communities as poverty and homelessness become increasingly visible,” Smith explained.
Over the last few years, many mid-size cities have seen visible homelessness for the first time and are concerned about how to address it.
“We wanted to bring this to Palmerston, to rural Wellington, to get that conversation happening,” Smith said.
The event is taking place ahead of National Housing Day on Nov. 22.
“Poverty and homelessness has always existed … and the housing crisis and cost of living has gone wild,” Smith said.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic people were “good at hiding their poverty” as it was “under reported and not visible.
“Now what’s happening is we’re seeing folks panhandling in rural communities,” she said.
Smith also explained the shock that comes along with seeing pervasive poverty.
“People have this idea these folks are not from our communities, that the poverty in Toronto or those mid-sized cities has somehow overflowed … but that’s really not the case.”
Smith hopes the conversations can “demystify” these ideas.
Following the screening there will be a panel Q&A session with local experts.
“Although it’s being hosted in Palmerston, this is a conversation all of rural Wellington should be involved in,” she said.
“We’re hoping we get a lot of political leaders and council members from across the seven municipalities coming to participate.”
Tickets are available online at gwlegalclinic.ca/nhd.
