Over 200 students on behalf of Carleton and two other participating post-secondary institutions joined together with Project Homelessness Connect to take action against homelessness May 14.
Carleton, alongside Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa, gathered on U of O’s campus to attempt the first ever gathering of post-secondary institutions in Ottawa in the fight against homelessness. The presidents of all three universities were there to support the volunteers who opened up several kiosks to provide essential services such as food, haircuts, counselling and job search resources.
According to Ted Jackson, associate dean of the faculty of public affairs at Carleton, the event was a solid success.
“Homeless from the downtown area started to come in and there were actually all kinds of people there. It had a very good feeling, there was music, people were quite appreciative and there was a lot of interacting going on. . . . The people serving food said they ran out of food. This is a good thing,” Jackson said.
Volunteers also collected non-perishable goods to provide at the event, as well as packing backpacks with living essentials.
“We put together 200 backpacks with all kinds of good stuff from new toothpaste, socks and hats and so on. That all was made available to people on the 14th as well. . . . You had a lot of people carrying these backpacks and bags around that will help them in the summer into the fall,” Jackson said.
"The goal was never intended to help the shelters, so much as offer some services that homeless individuals may not have access to, including eye glasses appointments, photography, minor pet care, minor bike and wheelchair repair, etc.," said Joe Lipsett, one of the co-ordinators from Carleton's student experience office.
With Canada ranking fourth on the human development index, research is another project Carleton professors and students are working on to find different ways to battle homelessness.
Carleton’s goal is to bring Ottawa’s awareness to the estimated 300,000 Canadians who find themselves homeless every night.
Originating out of San Francisco, Project Homeless Connect provides these services every two months. Jackson said he would like to see how they have accomplished this and learn from them. He said he would also like to see fundraising in the near future as well as discussions on providing similar services in the winter.