Property ManagementVirtual Home Is the First Step: HomelessNation.org
Those who are homeless are shut out of two environments, not just one. They have no home and no home page.
One award-winning website champions solutions to online exclusion as important steps toward ending off-line homelessness.
"HomelessNation.org is a digital home for those who have none," said Chris Aung-Thwin, National Coordinator for the website, created by and for the homeless, to normalize their lives. "This is the one place they can come, and feel safe and secure -- and they can leave something behind. When you do not have a home, you have nowhere for anything. Here they can leave their identify, their pictures and friends, and come back and it is all still there for them."
As proof that HomelessNation.org is on to a good thing, it recently won two prestigious awards for innovation:
The Canadian New Media Awards (CNMA) singled out Homeless Nation for its Award for Excellence in Social Media Websites;
The Society for New Communications Research (SNCR), a global nonprofit think tank dedicated to the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications, honoured nonprofit Homeless Nation for Excellence in New Media Creation/Social Media Production.
Homeless Nation (HN) was created out of a determination to give voice to those who would otherwise, figuratively and literally, be left on the cutting room floor. Filmmaker Daniel Cross could not use all the amazing stories he collected while filming two documentaries to capture Montreal"s homeless community. Cross felt compelled to share these "cutting room floor" stories and establish a meeting place where "Canada"s homeless community could share their stories and refuse to be ignored. A place to create equal access to online media, of sharing truths through audio/visual content for everyone to learn from."
Incorporated as Homeless Street Archives, the dream became an online reality as www.homelessnation.org in 2006. Since then, HN outreach workers bring donated computers and internet access into shelters and drop-in centres across Canada. Free computer and internet training is available for those who"d like to express themselves through digital tools. HN has more than 60 nonprofit partners, including youth groups and Native Friendship Centres. Ongoing community and street events expose the homeless and homed to the advantages of online community connections, including:
Resource lists for shelter, food, health care and legal assistance sources in provinces and territories.
Missing person profiles to help friends and family reconnect.
HN operates outreach in Montreal, Vancouver and Victoria, but has had to suspend programs in Toronto and other centres since, in spite of proven success and international recognition, funding is a challenge.
"We ran a three-year pilot with [the federal government"s] HRDC and exceeded expectations and won awards, but now the "space coach" is turning into a pumpkin," said Aung-Thwin. "It was wonderful to win those awards, but we are frustrated."
He explains the value of investing in Homeless Nation since costs are kept to a minimum by partnering with existing community groups, and HN offers community-improvement services which are in demand from cities across Canada and the US.
Too many people take their homes and internet access for granted. In the 18th and 19th Centuries, and into the 20th Century, homelessness was met with "you brought it on yourself" indignation and puritanical patronizing. In the first decade of this century, previously well-off individuals and families are realizing, that in spite of their plans to be homed, they are perilously close to sub-standard housing or homelessness. In Vancouver, affordable housing is in Olympic peril. In Calgary, working homeless struggle with the complications of maintaining personal hygiene and good nutrition while living on the street, and dealing with standard workplace stresses. The stories repeat themselves across the nation.
"If you have fallen down and you"re in the depths of despair, how do you pick yourself up?," said Aung-Thwin, explaining the HN philosophy. "How do you find the energy? This is not a fringe demographic. People run out of money. Once you don"t have a place to live, how do you get a job, shower for an interview...? We give the homeless the opportunity to find out more. The internet is how anyone finds anything, so we have to give that same opportunity to someone who is homeless."
At homelessnation.org, everyone is welcome to join in the dialogue, and to debate social justice issues relevant to homelessness -- which includes almost everything. Those blogging, posting videos, announcing events, reporting news, and talking about what"s current, appreciate having visitors communicate with them when they are @ home. Join in.