In My Backyard: A Winter Walk & Talk with Unhoused Neighbors

On a cold, rainy Saturday in March about 50 people gathered to connect with and learn from stories about houselessness and the experience of having no fixed address during winter in Halton.

We gathered at the Burlington Public Library to meet two Peer Researchers who have joined CDH's Learning from Lived Experience project, which aims to empower voices of lived experience with the housing crisis through community engagement and informing decisions made about housing and encampments. These Peers led a guided walk around Central Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, sharing stories about survival and where they found community and belonging.

These stories helped to highlight the ways in which our urban architecture and spaces - whether they be parks, bus shelters, recreation centers, park benches, or structural overhangs - might be viewed through another lens. Bus shelters, for example, can help provide respite from harsh weather. However, they lack privacy and a sense of safety. Park benches can provide a place to rest, but are sometimes built with metal bars to prevent someone from laying down. Recreation centers are critical spaces to access warmth during winter as well as showers and clean drinking water. Community meals, often held in churches and other community spaces, are important noncommercial places where people can come in as they are and connect with others.

This guided walk provided the community a chance to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" (a quote by one of the two peers who led the walk), and to reflect on the experience of survival in spaces that can be described as "right in your own backyard". When we returned to the BPL, we had an opportunity to gather in small groups to process what was coming up for us from the walk. Some significant themes emerged from these conversations.

One of the major things that stood out to folks from the stories they heard was the idea of needing to be invisible in public spaces. Whether because of stigma and shame or concerns for safety, some folks may attempt to remain invisible when unhoused. This creates a major barrier to connecting with a sense of community, something we all need.

People noted the importance of having to keep track of time and weather at all times when unhoused, and the importance of always moving. Our walk was mapped out according to daily or weekly routines established by the two Peers who shared their own stories about how they found warming spaces, good food, and good company. They chose to live in the neighborhood for its central location and access to the things they required to survive and connect. This meant being mindful of the opening and closing times of community spaces, when meals were held, and how long it would take to travel from Point A to Point B, especially during inclement weather. While movement helps to keep the body warm and stay connected with others, it is also exhaustingly constant when someone is unhoused - and we reflected a lot on the "stress of survival" and the degree of resourcefulness that people demonstrate amid these challenges.

The folks who came to hear these stories and walk alongside their unhoused neighbors brough a lot of compassion, curiosity, and a drive for action. Our Peers who led the walk felt empowered and energized by the opportunity to create change from their lived experience, and we hope to plan more events just like this across Halton to share and connect. We are grateful to our partners at the Burlington Public Library for their support, to the participants who walked alongside us, and most of all to our Peer Researchers who have generously shared their experiences to help others understand and take action.