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Kaite Burkholder Harris
Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa
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Kaite Burkholder Harris is the Executive Director at the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. Previously, she worked at the national level as a Policy Analyst with Reaching Home, the federal government’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy. In 2018, Kaite worked as a System Planner with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and spent a number of years working as the Project Manager for A Way Home Ottawa in preventing and ending youth homelessness.
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Having worked as a frontline mental health worker, Kaite has a strong understanding of some of the systemic challenges that people living on the streets face. Motivated by a desire to see larger systems change, Kaite is energized by engaging and mobilizing new stakeholders towards the goal of safe and affordable housing for everyone in our community.
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More form this conversation: |
- Inadequacy of Current Systems The current housing and social systems are not designed for people, especially those in crisis, leading to an increase in homelessness.
- Need for Long-term Housing Solutions Emphasizing the importance of rapid rehousing and permanent solutions over temporary shelters and emergency responses.
- Role of Policy and Government in Addressing Homelessness Advocating for policy changes, including investment in social and non-profit housing and learning from successful models like Finland's approach to homelessness.
With the ever escalating housing crisis, a growing number of people are confronting the harsh realities of homelessness on a daily basis. Despite concerted efforts, community services and shelter spaces are struggling to keep pace with the surging demand, leaving many without access to even these temporary solutions due to their limited capacity.
Faced with this stark reality, individuals are compelled to forge their own paths to survival, resulting in an increasing presence of makeshift shelters and tents, as residents seek safety and refuge from the often unforgiving elements.
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As we grapple with the pressing need for both short-term and long-term solutions to address the root causes of homelessness, the current plight of those living outdoors remains in a state of uncertainty. What do we know about the complexities concerning the root causes and approaches to homelessness and encampments? What responses and measures can we enact to deal with the basic needs, care, and well-being of these people? What other approaches to this issue, and what steps are other municipalities taking to assist those dealing with homelessness and living in encampments?
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Rethinking Homelessness
Harris, representing the Ottawa Alliance to End Homelessness, addresses the systemic nature of mass homelessness, a phenomenon she attributes to 40 years of poor policy decisions, especially the lack of investment in social housing. She points out that the design of our systems is not people-centric, which has led to a situation where a crisis often results in homelessness.
She highlights the issue of housing being treated more as an asset than a basic human right, contributing to the current predicament. Harris criticizes the excessive focus on short-term solutions like shelters and emergency measures, which she sees as merely 'buying homelessness' instead of resolving it. Instead, she advocates for rapid rehousing strategies, which are cost-effective and provide more permanent solutions.
Harris emphasizes the need for a spectrum of housing options, including social and non-profit housing, as the private market is incapable of addressing the current crisis. She discusses how rapid rehousing, coupled with rent subsidies and appropriate support, can be a more economical and effective approach compared to the cost of maintaining temporary shelters.
Drawing inspiration from Finland's successful approach to homelessness, Harris suggests that investing in government-owned housing and transforming the shelter system could significantly impact the crisis. She advocates for respecting the autonomy and choices of those in need of housing, emphasizing the importance of offering real choices and not just emergency shelters as alternatives to encampments.
Finally, Harris touches on the potential role of federal government initiatives and the need for a more focused approach to non-profit housing, land use, and acquisition strategies. She expresses cautious optimism about upcoming federal initiatives, hoping they will align more closely with the needs of the homeless population.