Shelter from the Storm (2001)

Director: Michael Connolly Length: 55 minutes

Cathy Crowe, Beric German, Jack Layton, Toronto Disaster Relief Committee

This is an independent documentary on homelessness, activism and Tent City in Toronto. https://vimeo.com/58645229

The number of homeless people has increased dramatically since the mid-1990s and we haven’t seen this kind of destitution since the Great Depression. What can advocates for homeless people do to really change anything? This documentary follows one organization in its behind-the-scenes activity -- the strategizing, the debates and the actions – that is putting homelessness into the public arena and pushing governments to act. A group of activists is working with residents of the now famous Toronto shantytown, Tent City, to move the community to a new location. This is one small campaign among many that the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee is working on to address the crisis in affordable housing. The residents of Tent City fashioned their own shelters to ensure their survival. They want a chance to get back on their feet and to do that they need affordable housing. This abandoned land on the shores of Lake Ontario that they’re squatting on is toxic with old industrial pollutants. The owner, Home Depot, wants Tent City off. The City of Toronto and the provincial Ministry of the Environment want Tent City off.

An updated version of the documentary that aired on CBC’s The Witness series is available online at: https://vimeo.com/58645229

More info at: www.cathycrowe.ca and @cathyacrowe

Cathy Crowe, RN, BAAN, MEd (Soc), Distinguished Visiting Practitioner

Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University