Description: 

 This 2-hour webinar will look at encampments through the lens of Housing as a Human right as detailed by the UN. While encampments are a symptom of the fact that Housing as a Human Right has not been met, we must still honour the human rights of encampment residents. The forcible decampment of individuals is an infringement of these rights.

This webinar aims to educate frontline and city workers interacting with encampment residents on how to do so in a way that honours and upholds the rights of these individuals.  We will break this 2-hour webinar into two parts to attain these ends. In the first part of the webinar, we will look at the history of encampments in Canada and the decisions and context that have led us to the present day. In the second half of the webinar, we will be hearing the voices of lived and living experiences and personal experiences of best practices when engaging with encampment residents.

Instructor/s: Fiona York 

Fiona York has worked in various roles and agencies in the non-profit sector for the past decade +. She has recently been featured in multiple local media outlets for her work on the frontlines of the DTES encampments that have been gaining headline attention since the start of the pandemic. Her work has always centred on those with whom she works. Fiona’s direct experience working in encampments will help ground this webinar in the practical ways in which we can work to assist those living in encampments.