According to a couple of agencies who help with mental health and housing, homelessness in the Corner Brook region is hidden. Tomorrow is National Housing Day and a public event is set to take place from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. at the Majestic Lawn. There will be a complimentary barbecue and a walk to show awareness and support. People can even bring a tent to take part in the demonstration. Jade Mahoney is the co-chair of the Coalition on Community Housing and Homelessness. She says safe and affordable housing is the focus for the coalition using a collective voice on the needs of the area. Mahoney is also an Interagency Coordinator with Community Mental Health Initiative. She says these people are experiencing what’s called fight or flight and they do what they can to survive. Mahoney says funds raised through the coalition help support people in need, who are homeless or at risk with things like rental and utility arrears, transportation, rental deposits, and more.
Travis Hulan is the Housing manager with Qalipu First Nations. He has sat at the table for many discussions on housing and says it is very complex in this area with so much stigma attached to homelessness. Hulan says most people think about people sleeping on park benches and panhandling but in reality homelessness comes in different forms in the Corner Brook area. He says people here couch surf, stay in emergency shelters or hotels, but some are unidentified and staying in abandoned buildings. Hulan says it’s the unidentifiable homelessness that we can’t see that is increasing in this area and the challenge is more resources.
