12
December 2017
RENFREW COLLINGWOOD COMMUNITY NEWS
Windermere Secondary’s Housing Justice Conference 2017 by Maya Cindrich On Nov. 20, the Windermere Secondary Law 12 classes attended their very first school-organized Housing Conference of 2017. Key speakers, such as anti-poverty and social justice activist Jean Swanson, gave detailed presentations about Vancouver’s ever-rising homelessness epidemic and what the students as youth, could do to put an end to homeless. The conference began with a presentation by Jean Swanson, who covered a wide array of topics that tie into Vancouver’s massively increasing homelessness population, such as the $41,000 tax decrease on the wealthy since the 1970s, and the decrease in social housing and inadequate funding from the provincial and federal governments. Jean also pressed the importance of decisions that will affect our future with housing for the better, saying, “If we can get a man to the moon, why can’t we end homelessness?” Jeans stated simple facts that would inevitably end homeless such as bringing back higher taxes on the wealthy, providing more social housing opportunities and, of course, gaining rent control. The second part to the conference consisted of students picking their own presentations to attend, according to their own interests. Going with the housing theme, I was the most interested in the presentation about Tiny Homes and Co-op Housing, given by Samantha Gambling and Fiona Jackson. With the help of these two women, our group of students learned about all the possible aids to not just lower class homelessness as we see it, but our suffering middle class as well. Samantha gave a detailed presentation of her life as a woman owning and living in an affordable, sustainable and ecofriendly tiny home on wheels, and the challenges and the rewards. I got to learn about zoning –which is a term that basically means what can be built on a piece of land or lot – that I hadn’t known about before. I also got to learn about the eco-friendly alternatives that come with living in a tiny home, for example, “humanure.” Samantha showed us a photograph of her toilet that had been altered to spit up solid and liquid waste, where it could then be sterilized in a bin outside for farming purposes. For me, that piece of information was interesting but wasn’t the highlight of our time together. Fiona Jackson, however, gave a presentation on coop housing and the benefits that come with being a part of a non-profit organization. With her, we got a more thorough look into co-ops. We learned about the democratic and business approach to co-op housing, where everyone “aims to break even.” She spoke about the different co-ops in Vancouver, and the ones being built as I’m sitting here typing this. For a short moment she even indulged into the history of co-ops, letting us know that the very first recorded existence of one was in Rochdale England, 1849.
All this brings up the pressing question: is housing a commodity or a human right? Personally, I can give a definitive answer to this question. It would simply be facts against beliefs. I believe it should be seen as a basic human necessity. No one in this world should sleep without a roof over their head, or not have a place to come home to. Nevertheless, my eyes are still open to the fact that as of now housing is in fact a commodity. Until a real change occurs, whether that be in the form of higher taxes on the wealthy or gaining rent control, housing will continue to be a game of status. A show of sorts. A gamble for the poor, but a game for the wealthy. Maya Cindrich is a Grade 12 student attending Windermere Secondary School. She aims to better her knowledge of our justice system in future years and one day become someone that makes a change, however big or small.
Photo by Maya Cindrich
Homelessness at Windermere Housing Justice Conference by Veronica Kong The Vancouver Housing crisis has affected many individuals who are currently homeless in Vancouver. So how can we work towards ending homelessness?
rent and other housing factors are voted on between the members. This means that the members work together to keep their housing well-managed and affordable.
At the Windermere Housing Justice Conference held on Nov. 20, guest speaker and activist Jean Swanson proposed that the government introduce a mansion tax. With this progressive property tax, we could end homelessness in a year. The mansion tax would bring in an extra $174 million annually, which could be used to build 2,138 modular homes for each counted homeless person in Vancouver. The cost of building the modular homes would only cost $160 million, which will take less than one year of revenue from the mansion tax.
Another alternative housing option are tiny houses. These houses are fully functional, customizable and has the capacity to be moved to other locations. The tiny houses are designed and built on the principles of affordability, community and sustainability. The downside to tiny houses is that they are currently not legal in Vancouver.
There are other ways that we can deal with the housing crisis. Co-op housing and tiny houses can also contribute to ending homelessness. In co-op housing, the members own the co-op, but the co-op owns the housing. Therefore,
Homelessness affects many individuals in health and other factors. We should not treat housing as a game for the rich when it causes others to suffer. Housing is a human right and should not be taken away from us. Veronica Kong is a current Law 12 student at Windermere Secondary. She is currently trying to raise awareness on issues such as homelessness and housing justice.