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Displacement City: Fighting for Health and Homes in a Pandemic
In Displacement City, outreach worker Greg Cook and street nurse Cathy Crowe present the stories of frontline workers, advocates, and people living without homes during the pandemic. The book uses prose, poetry, and photography to document lived experiences of homelessness, responses to the housing crisis, efforts to fight back for homes, and possible solutions to move Toronto forward. Contributors provide particular insight into policies affecting Indigenous peoples and how the legacy of colonialism and displacement reached a critical point during the pandemic. Offering rich stories of care, mutual aid, and solidarity, Displacement City provides a vivid account of a humanitarian disaster.
- GenresNonfictionSocial Justice
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 16, 2022
“Displacement City: Fighting for Health and Homes in a Pandemic,” is focussed around the homeless crisis in Toronto and the immediate effects of city and provincial policies. Edited by Greg Cook and Cathy Crowe, this collection of essays, letters, memoirs, photos, and poetry is a portal into a world that is pushed beyond the edges of humanity, where the necessities of life taken for granted by so many, are nowhere near enough.
How many times have we heard “We’re all in this together” throughout the pandemic? When you read “Displacement City,” any lingering feelings of that statement as truth fall away. While those affluent enough to stay home during the pandemic worked through the challenges that living with Covid-19 presented, other people put their lives on the line to help us all, and many others were faced with inhuman and unimaginable living conditions and choices. Homelessness is a crisis affecting more than 250,000 people across the country each year. With supports like, libraries, community centres, and fast-food restaurants shuttered, people relying upon them found themselves without washrooms or the means to maintain minimal hygiene. An unrepentant system focussed on simplistic and temporary solutions, and often overly punitive measures of enforcement. Overcrowding, unsanitary and unsafe conditions were the norm for people trying to make it through the pandemic. And all of this with an ongoing drug crisis.
The takeaways for me were the reinforcement of the need for the homeless to be able to self-determine, their right to dignity in living and in dying, and a reminder of the humanity of people who face grueling challenges. The term ‘houseless’ was often used, for many people while they may not have a house, have still found a home: in encampments, in shelters, and in myriad other situations which have taken the place of real solutions. As people living in a socialist democracy, in one of the richest countries in the world, we need to do better.
How many times have we heard “We’re all in this together” throughout the pandemic? When you read “Displacement City,” any lingering feelings of that statement as truth fall away. While those affluent enough to stay home during the pandemic worked through the challenges that living with Covid-19 presented, other people put their lives on the line to help us all, and many others were faced with inhuman and unimaginable living conditions and choices. Homelessness is a crisis affecting more than 250,000 people across the country each year. With supports like, libraries, community centres, and fast-food restaurants shuttered, people relying upon them found themselves without washrooms or the means to maintain minimal hygiene. An unrepentant system focussed on simplistic and temporary solutions, and often overly punitive measures of enforcement. Overcrowding, unsanitary and unsafe conditions were the norm for people trying to make it through the pandemic. And all of this with an ongoing drug crisis.
The takeaways for me were the reinforcement of the need for the homeless to be able to self-determine, their right to dignity in living and in dying, and a reminder of the humanity of people who face grueling challenges. The term ‘houseless’ was often used, for many people while they may not have a house, have still found a home: in encampments, in shelters, and in myriad other situations which have taken the place of real solutions. As people living in a socialist democracy, in one of the richest countries in the world, we need to do better.
August 2, 2024
An informative and imo currently essential collection of essays and poems from activists, unhoused people, frontline workers and more on the housing crisis in Toronto during the height of COVID lockdown. It really provided perspective on a variety of interrelated topics, including why more and more people are living in encampments and the horrific treatment they often receive from the police and city workers, and the continuing impact of systemic racism, ableism etc. on housing issues. My main takeaway: our city needs to radically change, centre unhoused people’s perspectives, and truly treat (affordable, accessible, dignified) housing as a human right.
The only (very minor) critique I have of this book is that some chapters would repeat similar introductory info, however based on the turnaround time for a collection like this, stuff like that is bound to happen. Overall, great collection and I hope more Torontonians will join in the fight for housing for all of our neighbours!
The only (very minor) critique I have of this book is that some chapters would repeat similar introductory info, however based on the turnaround time for a collection like this, stuff like that is bound to happen. Overall, great collection and I hope more Torontonians will join in the fight for housing for all of our neighbours!
January 8, 2023
This book is extremely eye opening and a must read for everyone!!!!
September 13, 2023
A compilation of stories and essays from workers, activists, and marginalized people by the housing crisis in Toronto during COVID. Did an insightful job of emphasizing the stories of people’s real experiences while providing commentary on the policy failures of the city.
Still very relevant today and I highly recommend to everyone. I thought chapter 11 (Zoë Dodd’s letter) was particularly powerful.
Still very relevant today and I highly recommend to everyone. I thought chapter 11 (Zoë Dodd’s letter) was particularly powerful.
April 17, 2023
An important current read for this city. I appreciated hearing of the specific actions and approaches taken during the pandemic. Some of which I knew well and others only a small segment of. An issue we are continuing to see played out daily in this city.
May 13, 2023
An eye opening read about homelessness during the pandemic in Toronto.
June 5, 2023
This book is eye opening and needs to be read by everyone. Three years later and more people are homeless then ever before and this book warned it was going to get worse a lot worse.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews