On a cold winter evening in downtown Kitchener, ornamental fire pits glowed along King Street, warming the hands of shoppers wandering through last year’s Christkindl Market. For Rebekah*, the sight was both beautiful and painful. “They had all these little fire pits to keep shoppers warm,” she recalls. “But we’ve got people who have no shelter, and we have no money for them.”
Rebekah is co-chair of the People’s Action Group (PAG), an initiative under MCC’s Walking with People in Poverty program. The PAG is composed of 10 - 15 members with lived experience of homelessness and poverty. Service providers and municipal staff in Waterloo Region and beyond consult with PAG members as they develop policies related to poverty and homelessness. PAG is bridging the gap between policy and real life.
Rebekah’s frustration cuts deep — not only because she’s witnessed the suffering firsthand, but because she’s lived in a system that often feels designed to let people fall through the cracks. “We have fewer shelters and the wait for affordable housing is far longer than it’s ever been,” she says. “And I just feel very frustrated by that.”
Where Systems and Stories Meet
Katie Taylor, who oversees MCC’s Walking with People in Poverty program, sees the passion of PAG members to make life better for others.
“What’s so powerful,” Katie says, “is that for a lot of people who have experienced homelessness, there’s this desire to see that changed for others. It’s a natural flow — people get involved with MCC’s Circle of Friends or the PAG as a way of giving back and advocating for others.”
And it makes a difference. Katie mentions a consultation with staff from Ontario Works (OW). PAG members suggested improving communication between managers and front-line workers so clients are aware of the supports they can access. OW managers came back several months later to say, “These are some of the changes we’ve made.” The conversation continued between PAG and OW continued.
That kind of feedback loop — where lived experience shapes real policy — is not common enough, but it’s exactly what’s needed to make services more accessible. The system can be so complex, so impersonal, that people give up. “Across the board,” Katie admits, “everyone I’ve ever met who has applied for ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) has gotten turned down initially. It’s like a treasure hunt, and it just doesn’t feel fair or right.”
But when the voices of those who have lived it are brought into the room, the system begins to shift toward justice. “There’s no substitute for lived experience,” Katie says. “I’ve walked alongside folks experiencing poverty and homelessness for years, but I still haven’t lived it. I’m constantly surprised by what I learn from the PAG. It reminds me — I don’t know what it feels like to not know where I’ll sleep tonight.”
quote
“We have to care more and step outside of ourselves or things aren’t going to change.”
The Fragile Line Between Stability and Survival
Rebekah is all too aware of the judgement that can come from those who haven’t experienced homelessness or addiction. “People will look and say ‘they’re drug addicts or this or this,’” explains Rebekah. “But I’ve talked to people who did not get involved in drugs until after being homeless. That’s the only thing that’s keeping them going. Who am I to judge their life choices? I can’t imagine what I’d be doing if I didn’t have a roof over my head.”
Except, she can imagine, because Rebekah was homeless herself at one point. “I’ve had a couple of brain injuries,” she explains. “It’s really difficult to get help. When you look normal, it’s hard — people don’t believe the challenges you’re experiencing.” She describes dealing with insurance companies “basically harassing” her, struggling to find a doctor who listens, and a system that feels “very, very rigged.” As a result of this lack of support and unraveling relationships, she found herself homeless and in a shelter over 15 years ago. Today, she has as an affordable apartment but the challenges that come with complex brain injuries make her situation precarious.
At home, Rebekah struggles with “ADLs” - activities of daily living. She says, “everything’s running on autopilot, but autopilot’s not working.” She describes basic daily tasks — cooking, cleaning, staying organized — as overwhelming. “Take a toddler and stick them in the kitchen and tell them to prepare a banquet,” she says. “That’s what it feels like.”
Still, she refuses to give up. “We can’t control anything that happens around us,” she reflects. “But we can choose how we let it affect us. Sometimes, yeah, I can feel really, really crappy. But once I can get my head out of that and think logically, it’s like, okay — kick yourself in the butt, keep going.”
The Invitation to Care
Although the People’s Action Group advises on policy, Rebekah recognizes that high-level systemic change should not be our only priority. “We can’t count on our politicians to fix the problem,” she says plainly. “They’re not miracle workers.” For Rebekah, changing the world starts from change within. “Somehow, we need to connect to each other, and we need to start caring. Even something small is better than nothing.”
What is that small thing we can do? It’s a challenge to all of us who walk past someone on the street, unsure of what to say or do. It’s a challenge to those who want to help but feel paralyzed by the size of the problem. Rebekah’s words are a reminder that small acts of care are not small at all.
“We have to care more and step outside of ourselves,” she says. “Or things aren’t going to change.”
*Last name withheld for privacy
Calls to action:
Volunteer with MCC’s Circle of Friends program
Donate to help support people to stay housed: ON - Support for People to Stay Housed | Mennonite Central Committee
Listen to an Undercurrents episode with Circle of Friends participant Wayne