The two most relieved citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador on Sunday, August 15 were probably Eileen and Noel Joe who ended their 42 day Red Road Walk for Homelessness that started in Conne River on July 4.
The mother and son averaged just a little over 15 km a day on their 42 day 645 km walk to St. John’s to raise awareness about the homeless situations many people in the province face.
Noel and Eileen work at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre in St. John’s, and it was this centre that the duo became aware of the homeless situation that some people have to endure.
Noel said, “The Walking the Red Road for Homelessness project is about raising awareness of homelessness on our province. People need to be aware that this problem is a serious issue in our society, and that we need more programs to help people who find themselves in this situation.”
Noel said that the pair received both positive and negative feedback on the walk to St. John’s.
“For the most part, we received positive reactions from the many people we met along the way. However, some people said that the homelessness is not an issue in the smaller rural communities in the province.
“However, in the bigger picture, this issue is becoming m0ore and more of a serious matter of concern in the entire province.”
Joel said that the main objective of the walk was to raise public awareness of the homeless situation in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“I think we did a good job in making the public more aware of the situation than they may have been before,” he said. “Mom and I plan to walk from St. John’s to Conne River in 2011 to keep the awareness campaign going.”
Kimberly Yetman Dawson is the Network Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network that is based in St. John’s.
Dawson said that the homeless situation in the province is more serious than most people realize. Apparently, there were 14,000 people at risk of homelessness in the St. John’s area in 2004.
It’s unlikely, given the oil boom in the Avalon Region, that this problem is any better in 2010.
Dawson agrees that the most important achievement that Joel and Eileen accomplished on their walk was to raise public awareness about the social issue.
She said, “We need to get more and more people aware of this serious situation that many people in our province face. People need to understand that it’s not only the middle-aged man that may be drinking out of a brown paper bag that might be homeless.
“The face of homelessness is changing across our entire province. Today, it’s youth, single moms, the working poor and seniors who face this problem. A lot of people are also one or two cheques away from being homeless.
“Most people don’t understand that what’s really happening about homelessness in the province is very different from what may be depicted in newspapers and on television.
“It’s not just happening in the bigger centers now either. In some rural communities we have people couch-surfing, living in squalor, seniors that can’t turn up the heat or buy groceries, as they have to pay the mortgage first.
“These situations may not always be visible, but they are definitely happening out there.”
Dawson said that the issue needs a lot of attention from a number of groups in our society.
“A lot of groups need to become involved to be a part of the solution to this issue. We need participation from all levels of government, community support groups such as service clubs in the non-profit sector – everyone needs to get involved.”
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