Preventing Homelessness Goes Beyond Affordable Housing

We are pleased to share the next in a series of articles co-written by Kim Samuel and students who took part in her International Development Seminar at McGill University, Lessons of Community and Compassion: Overcoming Social Isolation and Building Social Connectedness through Policy and Program Development. This collaboration reflects a primary goal for Kim as a professor: To foster community-centred teaching and learning in the university classroom and beyond. 

In this article, “Preventing Homelessness Goes Beyond Affordable Housing,” Kim and co-authors Jessica Farber and Celine Thomas express concern for the homeless amidst this devastatingly cold winter. While cities take steps to address emergency needs, Kim, Jessica and Celine urge us to remember that, for the homeless, every winter is an emergency. They argue that prevention strategies must accompany crisis-based response, but that true prevention must mean more than affordable homes for different people; it must mean community for all people.