No Exits, part one. Alex Nelson (and I) are proud members of the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, a collective of diverse women, including those with lived expertise, who are working to eliminate homelessness and housing insecurity for women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Canada. Alex is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Western University, and their research looks at homelessness, gender, and housing policy. They serve on several steering committees, including the Canadian Lived Experience Leadership Network, the steering committee of the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network and are a member of the National Right to Housing Network, the Child Welfare Political Action Committee, and the Making the Shift Scholars with Lived Experience Network. Alex also works for Regional HIV/AIDS Connection as a facilitator for Open Closet, which is a social and support group for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in London, ON.

They’re articulate, highly educated, compassionate and determined to enact change.

This is the beginning of a three-part series on homelessness in Canada. Alex will introduce us to advocacy through their research at Western University: we will explore who the homeless are and dispel some of the myths; Cathy Crowe advocates for policy changes in the city of Toronto: she and I will discuss the Trinity-Bellwoods encampment evictions; Charlie Burrell is boots-on-the-ground advocacy: he’ll be sharing how the town of Moncton NB feeds the precariously housed and offers ways to return to a more normal life. In light of the evictions, Alex, Cathy and Charlie bring hope.

A warning that some of the anecdotes are hard to hear.

For more information on the Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network, visit https://womenshomelessness.ca/; for more on this week’s story, find us at www.facebook.com/TheCookieJarOnCICK