MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AND MENTAL ILLNESS
BREAK THE BARRIERS OF HOMELESSNESS & MENTAL ILLNESS

DAY TO DAY

YOU CAN HELP

Make eye contact with and say hello to people   Keep Ziploc bags of toiletries, socks, snack food and   Bust the stigma and share stories. Feeling a sense
experiencing homelessness when you pass them on the street. Greet them as you would a friend or colleague.   grocery coupons in your car to share with people down on their luck whom you meet on the street.  
of support and community is empowering to those struggling with a mental illness. Be a welcome ear, share a personal experience and break the silence that keeps people from being open about their illness. Together, we can stop the perpetuation of misunderstanding about mental health conditions.
         
Pay attention to your language. Use expressions   In our language and daily encounters, we  
”like people experiencing homelessness” rather than labelling them “bums”, “transient” or even “the homeless”.   always need to remind ourselves that people in these difficult situations are, before anything else, human beings.  
               
               
               

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

TAKE ACTION, HOST A SCREENING OR START READING

   
       

TAKE ACTION

Now that you have learned about homelessness and mental illness, the next step is to take action and spread the message. Deciding where to start is never easy, check out the following so you can get involved in making a difference.

The best place to start is www.takepart.com/thesoloist. Here you can learn more about the issues, learn great ways you can make a difference and purchase The Soloist film.

   

HOST A SCREENING

Have a house party or ask a teacher if you can watch the film over a few sessions in class. After watching the film, consider taking your thoughts and feelings to an online forum, in a blog or a social networking site.
       
 

START READING:

There are several books out there that can help you learn more about homelessness.
             
     
Book title: Dying For A Home – Homeless Activists Speak Out
Author: Cathy Crowe
  Book title: All Our Sisters – Stories of Homeless Women across Canada
Author: Susan Scott
  Book title: Street Stories – 100 Years of Homelessness in Vancouver
Author: Michael Barnholden and Nancy Newman
  Book title: Homelessness – The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis
Author: Jack Layton
             
       
Book title: Tell Them Who I Am – The Lives of Homeless Women
Author: Elliot Liebow
  Book title: Braving The Street – The Anthropology of Homelessness
Authors: Irene Glasser and Rae Bridgman
  Book title: The Soloist – A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, & the Redemptive Power of Music
Author: Steve Lopez
   
             
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