Nikki Sutherland, Greg Cook, and A.J. Withers discuss their experiences on the front lines of the homelessness crisis in Toronto when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
They’ve each contributed to the book Displacement City, which is composed of eighteen different chapters offering firsthand perspectives from street nurses, lawyers, people living in the shelter system, and a variety of others.
Sutherland’s, journey involved moving from the shelter system, to a tent in the city, to an apartment building that was slated to be torn down, to various hotels, to the building she lives in now. It also included a serious health scare, and embracing sobriety.
Withers helped organize a lawsuit aimed to prevent encampment residents in Toronto’s Moss Park from being evicted.
Cook co-edited Displacement City and is an outreach worker with the Toronto based community group Sanctuary and a member of the steering committee of the Shelter and Housing Justice Network.