Canada is in a housing crisis with over 35,000 Canadians homeless on any given night. Declining wages, withdrawal of federal government support, reduced benefits, and a severe lack of affordable housing are all factors that contribute to this crisis. At this event, Dr. Alex Abramovich and Cathy Crowe, leaders in homeless research, address the ways in which community accountability, dialogue, and sometimes even co-creation can work between activists, artists, and homeless community members.

Dr. Alex Abramovich is a nationally recognized leader in the area of LGBTQ youth homelessness and is one of few Canadian researchers studying the phenomenon of queer and trans youth homelessness.

Cathy Crowe is a social activist, educator, and street nurse. Crowe, an advocate for the homeless, has worked on issues affecting the homeless, such as shelter conditions and inadequate housing, for over two decades. In 1998, Crowe co-founded the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC), which declared homelessness a National Disaster.