Homeless Nation Gives a Digital Place to The Displaced

November 23, 2008 · Comments

homeless nation site It’s going to be a strange year for people, and some folks who never thought they’d find themselves homeless might be in that boat. With all the various economic storms in the air, I’m sure it will not be unheard of that you or I will know someone who is forced into homelessness. It’s great to see a service like Montreal-based Homeless Nation that gives services, voice, and a sense of digital place for people finding themselves in this situation.

You might have heard of the site. They won both the Canadian New Media Award (CNMA) and the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) Award for Excellence in New Communications Award for New Media Creation/Social Media Production, so it’s not like they’re going unnoticed. The organization has been around since 2003, providing information on services, events, missing people notices, and much more.

I found the fact that members of Homeless Nation can produce podcasts and video to be quite an interesting component. Imagine a world where your physical location is no longer fixed. You might have a place to stash parts of your belongings. You will certainly find ways to acquire temporary shelter, will learn how to find food, find a place to bathe, and the like.

But how might the digital world facilitate any kind of framework of one’s presence? And in that world, if you’re there for more than a few months, how could a network catering to the news a homeless person needs help the experience?

Check out Homeless Nation, and think about ways you might be able to help in the coming months. I think supporting the temporarily displaced might be my holiday charity of choice. What about you?

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  • Hi Chris, thanks so much for this story. With the recent awards we've been receiving much more media attention and site traffic. Our funding, however, has now expired and we desperately need the public's support. If you believe in what www.homelessnation.org does, please click here to donate. You are the difference.
  • Stephanie
    I lived on the streets of Victoria for almost a year, and am a member of the homeless nation website. I find the site to be a very open and supportive community for people who are so often misjudged by everybody else. Reading the blogs, sharring stories, being kept up to date on whats going on politically........there are s many wonderfull and invaluable things this site provides.
  • Hey big up to all you folks reading about social media. And another one to those actually creating it. homelessnation.org is just one example. It's because of people like you that it has it's meaning. If there were no contact with the world outside homelessness on the site it would be just about worthless. So keep reading watching and listening but most of all respond and create dialogue.

    Oh yeah hey Julien Dropsoffthefaceoftheearthsskavitch let us know whats happenin brother miss ya!

    -Gadget
  • Thanks for the article Chris. Since having spent 10 homeless years in Toronto, I have become a social activist, speaking out for the cause of the homeless community. It's disgraceful that in a society as rich as ours so many are being left literally out in the cold, to perish prematurely. The most promising sign that this unjust situation is beginning receive the attention it deserves and needs is the fact that the media have recently begun to take notice.
    You can view my website about poverty, homelessness and addiction at...
    http://downbutnotout.synthasite.com/
  • Monique
    Thank you, Chris, for writing this article. I work for Homeless Nation as an outreach worker and I find my job quite inspiring. I meet wonderful people on the street and they have a lot to say. The homeless people who are members of homelessnation.org feel empowered, having this tool to express their concerns, their feelings, share their stories. I hope the site will be accessible for a long time to come - although I also hope that homeless people will receive the attention they need, not just in an article, but also in the form of affordable housing/detox centers, etc., etc.
  • Janelle
    As the Vancouver Coordinator for Homeless Nation i would like to thank Chris for his post and all of you for checking out the site.

    I have worked with the street community for over 10 years in a variety of capacities and i can say with honesty that homelessnation is one of the few programs that gives the power of self representation back to the community.

    Having the Internet accessible to the street community, providing access to new media tools and creating a forum where those experiencing homelessness are able to share their own experiences, in their own words is extremely powerful. My hope is that government will start to take notice and use the site as an educational tool to create social change in our community.

    Homeless Nation is currently pursuing funding opportunities We are certainly open to any suggestions.
  • I have had the honor of working for Homeless Nation. It were not for homeless nation I would not be doing the project that I am doing to today. I personally had been homeless, living in my family's little toyota and couch surfing for about 15 months. All this time my family was working and staying of income assistance.
    What Homeless Nation did for me was allow me to keep doing what I have always done. That is to advocate for some of off the most marginalized people. It also taught me the values of using the media as a tool; and that the tool comes in many different shapes, sizes and outlets.
    Now my only barrier is not having the neccessary equipment to continue what HN has taught me so that I can continue on sharing the stories.
    If I was rich enough I would donate to a program like this because it empowers people by putting the tools in the hands and hearts of those who have a story to tell.
  • Gary Cohen
    Chris,
    Great cause and cool idea. In times like this we have to help others regardless of our situation. AdAge this week quoted the Edelman Goodpurpose survey that 71% of 6000 surveyed have given the same amount of money or time to a cause. This may change as the economy struggles.

    I have been helping a non-profit, www.ChangingThePresent.org, that is all about gifting to one of over 1600 charities. The idea is that rather than give meaningless gifts that people do not want, we can give a charitable gift that can help others e.g. the homeless, the impoverished, the hungry etc.

    We really do need to think about those less fortunate than us and help however we can. Homeless Nation is a cool idea. I did wonder like Michael Durwin - would homeless folks have the equipment to make the videos and podcasts. Then I read that through their outreach, they make digital tools accessible for learning, media and communication. Bravo!

    Gary
  • Yep, I agree, preventing homelessness and helping those for whom we couldn't prevent it should be the charity of choice this year for us all. We've got to help bridge the gap. Read more ideas I proposed at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-talavera/br....
  • Cynthia
    Working for a small, grassroots nonprofit (www.phpnw.org) focused on adults with disabilities and little to no income, approximately 60% of our clients are homeless. For those who are internet savvy, the library is their only access.

    Personally, I now have two friends experiencing homelessness. In the county in which we live, there are NO shelters for single adults - so one of my friends spends the coldest nights sleeping in my family room, and has internet access while she is here.

    Portland does have a newspaper by and for the homeless, called Street Roots, which is excellent, but Homeless Nation far surpasses it! I was very impressed to learn that they provide outreach and have placed computers with internet access in shelters and drop-in centers. The combination of services they provide and the mission which drives them are so very inspiring!

    I'll be sending a link to the people at Street Roots in the hopes that someone there will be inspired enough to begin something similar here. Maybe they could connect with Free Geek, which provides rebuilt computers to people in exchange for volunteer work...

    Thanks for a another great post Chris!!
  • michael Durwin
    During my first pass through this post I found myself visualizing scores of homeless documenting their plight with iFlips and Googling the closest soup kitchen with their iPhones. The site is admirable, but how many people without a home will have Internet access? Even with access to a library computer, I hope the site has little Flash or PHP!
  • I agree it is also my charity of choice every year, there are a lot of homeless in Los Angeles where I live.
  • What a great idea. Does anyone know if there's an American counterpart to this?
  • Julien
    heh, you know i used to work for them, right?
  • Living a life in constant movement must be exciting - especially for someone who works on the web since they aren't nailed down anywhere.
  • I hadn't heard of this at all! Thanks for bringing attention to what these people are doing, Chris. Important stuff.
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