We have 156 years lived experiences with homelessness.

We have survived and escaped all forms of homelessness. We are Indigenous, we are racialized, we are settlers, we are women, we are men, we are non-binary, we live with disabilities, we are seniors and we are young.

Many of us are not far enough away from our experience of homelessness to have survived it. Many of us live in fear of becoming homeless again because of the lack of safe affordable homes in our community. We hold space for those currently experiencing homeless and for those who did not survive homelessness.

Nicole Chaland is a housing and homelessness researcher and advocate. Nicole brings extensive community economic development and popular education experience to this work.

Dr. Bernie Pauly is a professor in the UVic School of Nursing, a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, a member of the Renewal of Public Health Services Research Team, and a priority lead for the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.

Bruce Livingstone has been a housing rights advocate networking on the Coast Salish territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking peoples for more than a decade. He first became homeless at the age of 15 and has much lived experience of Canada’s broken social systems. He has worked with human rights legal advocates such as Pivot Legal, The SHIFT and the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate to further the human right to housing.

Doug and Kathy call Tsawout First Nation home and are part of the səlxʷéyn sqʷél SELWÁN SḰÁL (Elders Voices) program at UVIC. They provide an important connection to Indigenous culture and leadership which is highly valued by our cohort.

“Honour who you are and where you came from. You have the power to achieve what you want.” Kathy Horne

“It’s important that we’re there for the students and that we’re showing them that it’s possible to overcome difficulties.” Doug LaFortune