My experience with the Carnegie Housing Project

by Nicolas

I joined the Carnegie Housing Project in December 2024, first every Friday for the meeting lunch, then regularly to organize town halls and lately, in February 2025, a rally at Vancouver City Hall to fight a motion put forward by the mayor. This motion aimed at ending investments in supportive housing in Vancouver.

Although the motion was passed, I have been able to participate, which makes me very glad, to a collective work fighting for social housing in Vancouver.

The Carnegie Housing Project is firmly opposed to the gentrification of the city and we are doing our best not to be pushed away by very conservative forces.

I had never expressed myself in a foreign language on such a sensitive topic for me.

It was made possible thanks to the collective, inclusive and open minded preparation of the speech in a workshop at the Carnegie Community Center, in a warm classroom on the third floor.

Advices and support, especially from Jean and Devin, but also other friends, were so important.

Experiencing poverty, unemployment, homelessness, being marginalized often leads to despair, feelings of isolation, rage, impatience, loss of sense and shame.

Being part of a group like Carnegie Housing Project has allowed me to reconnect with people.

In the coming weeks, we are organizing an event, an Ambassador’s meeting at Spartacus Bookstore, in order to let people know about homelessness in Vancouver and how to fight this issue, that is (indeed?) a housing issue. A class struggle against a powerful minority who has decided to get rid of poor people in the city.

This task is very demanding, but very exciting, makes me busy and feel included.

We are thinking of what we will be saying, how we will promote the event and how we can give it some (solemnity?).

Always keeping in mind that housing is a human right.