Anti-Povery Coalition opens Victoria squat 19 October 2002

After homeless activists opened up a 15-year abandoned building for social housing in downtown Victoria on October 16, all six community house members went down to offer support, and ended up spending the night inside the occupied building.

Although police shut down the squat within a day, it raised awareness about the massive shortage of affordable housing in the city. Community house members met some of Victoria's many homeless people, and learned about some of the struggles they face every day on the streets.

Being part of the squat led many of us to ask ourselves: what does it mean to be church, in a society where people go hungry and have no shelter? In the midst of wealth and privilege, where can we position ourselves to challenge these injustices?

Check this space soon for more writing/photos from this action.

Students shut down UVic campus 8 October 2002

DAY OF DEFIANCE: As a cool fog descended on the UVic campus before daybreak on Monday, students, unionists and other concerned citizens set up barricades and picket lines at every entrance to the campus.

The protest action aimed to shut down the university for the morning as part of a city-wide "Day of Defiance" against the B.C. government's cutbacks to social services.

The students then joined 3,000 marchers downtown for a snake march. Community house members attended both actions.

David Ball is a community house member and student journalist at the University of Victoria.

Woodwards squat demands end to homelessness 8 October 2002

Since mid-September, homeless activists have occupied an abandoned building in Vancouver to highlight the city's housing crisis. Police have tried unsuccessfully to break up the squat several times, but awareness and support for the action are growing.

News provided by the Vancouver Independent Media Centre, part of the global Indymedia network.