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Welcome to another edition of Philanthropic Phriday. Today's donation goes to Raising the Roof:
https://raisingtheroof.org
With Ottawa having declared a "homelessness emergency" and Gatineau introducing an 8PM to 5AM curfew, few people could argue that homelessness was not a serious problem. During the pandemic, people are working from home where possible. But how on earth is one expected to work from home when one doesn't HAVE a home?
Don't kid yourself that homeless people are not capable of or interested in working, either. As with the rest of the population, some are and some aren't. As I learned from a front page story in today's Ottawa Citizen, some residents of Ottawa homeless shelters actually work as personal support workers in long term care - their wages simply aren't high enough (or they don't work enough hours) for them to be able to afford to rent lodgings. These workers tend to be paid strictly by the hour and rarely have benefit packages. If their immigration status is shaky, they may not even get the minimal protections prescribed by law.
Across the river, the curfew scheduled to kick in at midnight has raised some major concerns on the part of organizations and individuals who help the homeless:
https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/gatineau#
If you are shopping for warm outdoor clothing this winter, you could do worse than to invest a snazzy new Raising the Roof toque. Not only will it keep you warm, but you will be helping homeless people in your own community.
https://raisingtheroof.org
With Ottawa having declared a "homelessness emergency" and Gatineau introducing an 8PM to 5AM curfew, few people could argue that homelessness was not a serious problem. During the pandemic, people are working from home where possible. But how on earth is one expected to work from home when one doesn't HAVE a home?
Don't kid yourself that homeless people are not capable of or interested in working, either. As with the rest of the population, some are and some aren't. As I learned from a front page story in today's Ottawa Citizen, some residents of Ottawa homeless shelters actually work as personal support workers in long term care - their wages simply aren't high enough (or they don't work enough hours) for them to be able to afford to rent lodgings. These workers tend to be paid strictly by the hour and rarely have benefit packages. If their immigration status is shaky, they may not even get the minimal protections prescribed by law.
Across the river, the curfew scheduled to kick in at midnight has raised some major concerns on the part of organizations and individuals who help the homeless:
https://www.homelesshub.ca/community-profile/gatineau#
If you are shopping for warm outdoor clothing this winter, you could do worse than to invest a snazzy new Raising the Roof toque. Not only will it keep you warm, but you will be helping homeless people in your own community.
