In the face of more desperation, those behind the Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness are marking a milestone while doubling down on helping people feel valued and part of a community.
“One of the hardest things to understand is that part of the solution to homelessness, and for people to maintain stability over time, belonging is important,” said Chuck Lazenby, the executive director of the Unity Project.
“Feeling that you are part of the world and a part of community and a valued person, not an outsider, that gives people hope.”
The organization marks its 25th anniversary Wednesday, August 12.
In 2001, Lazenby was a 21-year-old Fanshawe College student, part of a group of poverty activists and people living on the street who took over Campbell Memorial Park on Dundas Street near Colborne to call attention to homelessness in the city.
They did so as London welcomed athletes and supporters from across the country to the Canada Summer Games and as provincial and federal politicians arrived in the city.
“We were initially trying to bring attention to an issue and that fueled us to try to do something more,” Lazenby said. “That protest didn’t end. It turned into a program, a shelter, and a desire to do things a little differently than the status quo.”