Day of the Homeless 2010

The Day of the Homeless

August 31, 2010

10am-2pm

170 Jarvis Street

On August 31, 2010, the Good Neighbours’ Club hosted the second annual Day of the Homeless to raise awareness of the issues facing the homeless, especially the elderly demographics which are on the rise as our population ages.

Last year, we initiated this event in response to the tragic death of Paul Croutch, a Good Neighbours' Club member who was beaten to death in Moss Park in 2005.

This year, we focused on giving this vulnerable and often forgotten segment of Toronto's population a voice.

The day began with a ceremony marking both the death of Paul Croutch and the commitment of the Good Neighbours' Club and Toronto to elderly homeless men. Moving words were spoken by the Honourable Lt. Gov. of Ontario David Onley, accompanied by his lovely wife, the Honourable Ruth Onley, Patron to the Good Neighbours' Club.

He was followed by our Vice Patron, Police Bill Chair - a longtime supporter of the club - and the Honourable Glen Murray MPP, who also spoke at our most recent AGM. Last to speak was the President of Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy.

Mr. Levy very eloquently discussed the many ways that Ryerson is reaching out the club to support older men in poverty. We are very grateful to Mr. Levy, Erin McGinn, the Director to the President, and Ryerson University for sponsoring our printing costs!   

The most important voices at the event though were those of our members, expressed in the photography exhibit Expressions of Hope and Despair. Attendees will experience the varying lives of these men. We will be displaying works both of and by our members, including portraits by well-known photojournalist Rita Leistner and photographer Nir Bareket.

Nir Bareket’s beautiful black and white photographs clearly document this barren reality of Toronto’s darker side. His work illustrates the desperation that plagues men fighting for everything: food, shelter and recognition as human beings of worth.

We were also excited to offer the sculpture of GNC member Wayne McKinnon and his teacher Floyd Kuptana, an Inuit artist whose work can be found in art galleries in Canada and Switzerland. The repugnant surrealism of these figures reflect the dehumanization and indignity of living in the system, sleeping in shelters and under bridges, and the horrors of drug abuse and mental illness.

But within this darkness lies a glimmer of hope. In Rita Leitsner’s vivid portraits, we discover the many facets of these men which include a powerful will to life lives of fulfillment and joy. Her crisp work is accompanied by text that tells us a bit about the men that we see in these photographs. Contrasting the lack of distinction of the anonymous term “homeless”, we discover the personality of these members and their unique stories, which are far more complex that conventional notions of poverty allow.

We delve deeper into this world in the portion of the exhibit supplied by our members. We gave disposable cameras to some men willing to document their lives for you today. The result is a moving look into what it is like to be older and to live in poverty and isolation in Toronto. We meet men that can easily be our fathers or brothers battling seemingly insurmountable difficulties with the help of places like the Good Neighbours’ Club, many times espousing an optimism that seems incongruous with their situations.

We welcome you to explore these photos on our website. We will post them shortly.

Please note that all of the art is available for purchase with all of the proceeds going directly to the Good Neighbours' Club.