For the third year in a row, Redwood Park Communities is leading an initiative to get Barrie residents to say “Yes In My Back Yard” in support of affordable housing in their community.
“Yes In My Back Yard” — or “YIMBY” — is a social movement that has risen up in cities all over North America to counteract NIMBYism, or “Not In My Back Yard,” and promotes the belief that everyone deserves a safe, affordable, hopeful place to call home.
“One of the big myths about homelessness is that it is somehow a failing of the person experiencing it," Jennifer van Gennip, Redwood’s director of communications and YIMBY organizer, told BarrieToday. "I think it is more accurate to say that homelessness is a failing of society.
“YIMBY says, I acknowledge that this is a community problem, not an individual problem, and I commit to being part of the solution," she added. "I will tell my friends, family, co-workers that housing is a human right. My unhoused neighbours have the same rights as I do.
"And when enough of us do that, it just might give our policymakers the courage to do the right thing.”
In a November 2020 Simcoe County Homeless Enumeration, van Gennip said they counted 563 people experiencing homelessness in the region. While they know that count is low, it's still helpful to give some insights to the problem.
Half of those counted, van Gennip noted, were from Barrie, 82 per cent were single adults and 62 per cent were what she said are categorized as “chronically homeless,” which means it is not just a blip for them but rather that they have been unhoused for a while.
Approximately one-third of the individuals identified as Indigenous, which she noted is a significant over-representation given only about four per cent of the population of the county is Indigenous.
Sixty-seven per cent of people who completed the survey identified as having mental health struggles and 61 per cent noted that their substance use is problematic.
“All this information gives us clues about the type of housing and supports we need to be providing to meet the needs in our community,” van Gennip said. “Ending homelessness is a big goal, but it’s doable and everyone has a part to play in making sure our city is affordable and inclusive for everyone who lives here."
COVID and the stay-at-home orders have highlighted the need for safe and affordable housing in Barrie, Redwood’s co-founder and chief executive officer Tim Kent says in a news release.
The City of Barrie has even officially proclaimed June 14-19 as YIMBY Week. The YIMBY flag will fly at city hall and YIMBY lawn signs are already popping up on lawns across Barrie and Orillia.
The YIMBY message is already resonating with many in the community, including longtime Busby Centre and Barrie Out of the Cold volunteer Laurina Krans.
“I have seen and felt the damage that NIMBY can cause,” she says in a release. “I think people forget that folks experiencing homelessness are people just like everyone else and are in a bad time, but with hope and encouragement lives can turn around."
Van Gennip is encouraging residents to get online and share the hashtags #YIMBYBarrie and #IamaYIMBYer on their social media pages. There will also be a virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, June 16 at at 1 p.m., titled A Place to Call Home.
“This will be a conversation about housing as a right and the role of government, the role of the community in addressing homelessness through inclusion, and the on-the-ground barriers experienced by communities that are marginalized," she added.
Residents are also encouraged to visit www.SCATEH.com or www.builtforzerosimcoecounty.ca to learn more about the collaborative efforts underway to end homelessness in Simcoe County by 2024.
To register for the virtual event, request a lawn sign, and learn more about the YIMBY movement visit www.redwoodparkcommunities.com/yimbyweek.
