Michelle Knight
Eviction Prevention Peer Worker, Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Hi, my name is Michelle Knight, my pronouns are she/her. I am an Eviction Prevention Peer Worker at the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region or SDC, as we call it. A little bit about me. I am many things to many people. I am a woman, I am a black woman, I am a black queer woman. I am a first generation Canadian. I am a tenant and I work two jobs. I am just like the communities of people I work hard to support. Who I am and where I come from directly impacts the work I do. Peer workers have lived experience, are passionate and compassionate people; who work hard to help tenants understand their rights and responsibilities, fight for tenant protections and continue to strive to evoke change in the many interconnected systems and services in the community.
But how I see myself is what matters most to me. I spend my life trying to be the best person I can be, in everything I do. I work hard to make the world a little better every day and of being aware of how I move through life. I am an Eviction Prevention Peer Worker at the Social Development Centre and I love what I do.
But how I see myself is what matters most to me. I spend my life trying to be the best person I can be, in everything I do. I work hard to make the world a little better every day and of being aware of how I move through life. I am an Eviction Prevention Peer Worker at the Social Development Centre and I love what I do.
Presentation
Michelle Knight is a peer support worker at the Social Development Centre (SDC) Waterloo Region, focusing on eviction prevention. She emphasizes that she herself is a tenant and understands the issues tenants face, especially those from marginalized communities like her own indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities. SDC aims to help tenants understand their rights and responsibilities, offering free services like helping in landlord-tenant board hearings.
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The SDC takes a holistic approach in their support, recognizing that eviction is not a standalone issue but affects various aspects of a tenant’s life. They have introduced a new role of a Tenant Support Organizer, aimed at creating partnerships among tenants facing multi-unit evictions to facilitate collective action. Michelle notes that SDC is also closely tied to community legal services and sometimes pools resources to hire a paralegal, especially for tenants who don’t qualify for free legal services.
Lastly, Michelle clarifies that while SDC does not have specific mental health resources, they do provide peer support which includes listening to tenants' experiences. Currently operating with only two part-time peer workers across three cities, SDC is exploring the possibility of bringing on volunteers to enhance their reach and services, but they question their current capacity to manage additional help.
Lastly, Michelle clarifies that while SDC does not have specific mental health resources, they do provide peer support which includes listening to tenants' experiences. Currently operating with only two part-time peer workers across three cities, SDC is exploring the possibility of bringing on volunteers to enhance their reach and services, but they question their current capacity to manage additional help.
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Eviction Prevention Waterloo RegionAbout this Service
FROM THEIR WEBSITE:
We have been hearing about the need for a peer-outreach supports for tenants in Waterloo Region for many years. Please read the article from February 10, 2022 about gaps in enforcement of tenant's rights in Waterloo Region. Thanks to the funding from the United Way Waterloo Region Communities, direct peer support is now available to all tenants of Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge. Building on the expertise of the two outreach workers the program will also focus on 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrants, refugees & low-income renter households. The research and practice on displacement in Kitchener-Waterloo (SDCWR, 2021) identifies a range of tenant experience and landlord practices from discrimination to renovictions as forcible moving and un-homing of the tenants in Waterloo Region, we will be responding to the following:
Contact Eviction Prevention WR
For more information, please contact: Michelle Knight - Eviction Prevention Cambridge, Project Coordinator michelle.knight@waterlooregion.org 226-507-8961 or 519-579-3800 ext. 8 Leah Connor - Eviction Prevention Kitchener-Waterloo leah.connor@waterlooregion.org 226-507-8964 & 519-579-3800 ext. 7 Megan Walker - Eviction Prevention Tenant Organizing megan.walker@waterlooregion.org 226-507-8965 & 519-579-3800 ext. 9 |
