The Spaces Between Them
From City of Toronto press releases about housed people in the time of Covid-19 the weather is nice in our great city quiet streets are neighbourhood streets creating more safe space the volume of park-goers that were publicly intoxicated were a challenge compliance through education and awareness remains the preferred method of engagement creating more safe space a greater number of bylaw and police officers educating residents staying home self-isolating not seeing family and friends has been incredibly difficult creating more safe space make space enough space additional space more space plenty of space shared space green space public space
From City of Toronto press releases about unhoused people in the time of Covid-19 we are supporting this vulnerable group we will relocate them activate sites to achieve the highest possible public benefits strict infection prevention and control measures will be in place one occupant was found deceased a safe space to recover outside of the shelter system the largest shelter system in Canada clients who live outdoors face a disproportionately high risk of harm one occupant was found deceased housing will make an important contribution towards our socio-economic recovery one occupant was found deceased housing crisis housing challenges housing options housing solutions housing spectrum housing sectors housing people housing first
From the Author: When Covid-19 came to Toronto, I over-consumed information in an attempt to keep my partner and I safer. We had been through a great deal together, including homelessness, and I wanted to make sure we could survive this too. In my reading I started to notice differences in the way our city talked about housed people in expensive neighbourhoods versus unhoused people living in encampments. In the former, they talked about humans, families, empathy, education. In the latter, they used less personal language, instead turning whole groups of people into abstract ideas, lessons, or cautionary tales. I selected words from a few dozen press releases and constructed these complimentary poems, one that spoke to my current experience and one to my previous experience.
H. E. Casson’s creative work spans poetry, science fiction, literary fiction, creative non-fiction, and essays. Their words have been shared by the League of Canadian Poets, Cast of Wonders, Room, and Taco Bell Quarterly—among others. Their voice acting appears in the Moonbase Theta Out, Disenchanted, and Seminar podcasts. When not creating, they can be found gardening poorly, singing energetically, or dancing even more energetically. Visit them at hecasson.com and as @hecasson on Twitter.
