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HomelessNation.org is a not-for profit organization based in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. In order to bridge the digital divide, documentary filmmaker Daniel Cross created ''HomelessNation.org'' in 2003. A website by and for the
homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
, the resource gives people on the street the opportunity to control their own voice and engage the public in a safe and supportive forum. The site's outreach workers teach computer and media skills to facilitate self-expression and community involvement. Improved knowledge and self-esteem help individuals make healthier life choices and transition off the street. The project has directly impacted thousands of individuals across Canada and is now gaining ground internationally. The project has won 4 major ICT awards, including a prestigious World Summit Award.


About

HomelessNation.org is a non-profit internet endeavor that started in 2006. It is a Canadian national collective voice by and for Canada's
homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
population. It was founded by a documentary film director Daniel Cross (executive producer), alongside his film company partner
Mila Aung-Thwin Mila Aung-Thwin is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, producer and activist whose films deal with social justice. He had a multi-disciplinary education in arts, journalism, and photography. In 1998, he met his fellow director/producer Daniel Cros ...
(producer),
Brett Gaylor Brett Gaylor is a Canadian documentary filmmaker living in Victoria, British Columbia. He grew up on Galiano Island, British Columbia. He was formerly the VP of Mozilla's Webmaker Program. His documentary, ''Do Not Track'', explores privacy and ...
(filmmaker and web architect) and Anuj Khosla (administrator). It has a number of locations in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
including
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
(
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
), St. John's, (
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
),
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
and
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, (
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
). Homeless Nation's outreach workers across Canada work in a variety of ways in collaboration with the homeless community in shelters, day-centres,
squats Squat, squatter or squatting may refer to: Body position * Squatting position, a sitting position where one's knees are folded with heels touching one's buttocks or back of the thighs * Squat (exercise), a lower-body exercise in strength and co ...
, at protests, community events, on the street and online. It is also dedicated in ensuring that digital tools for media, learning and communication are made available for homeless Canadians by placing donated
computers A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ('' computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', ...
into shelters and drop-in centres, thus providing opportunities to create
audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...
,
visual The visual system is the physiological basis of visual perception (the ability to detect and process light). The system detects, transduces and interprets information concerning light within the visible range to construct an image and buil ...
or
written Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of language. A writing system includes a particular set of symbols called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which they encode a particular spoken language. Every written language ...
testimonials In promotion (marketing), promotion and advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a person's written or spoken statement extolling the virtue of a product (business), product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales pitc ...
. According to the official site of the organization, "Homeless Nation" aims at building and strengthening communities, both virtual and actual, across Canada, providing access to the internet, media and training to Canada's homeless population, encouraging discussion and learning on social issues surrounding homelessness. It also tries to create dialogue between Canada's homeless and mainstream society to counter isolation and
marginalization Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...
, recycles and re-purposes technology for use by Canada's homeless communities and tries to break down stereotypes and barriers in the society. It was founded by Daniel Cross, a
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
maker whose films deal with social justice and Canada's homeless. He made the films '' The Street: A Film with the Homeless'' and '' S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks in Traffic'', where hundreds of homeless people from
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
shared their many amazing stories with him. Out of the movie, came the idea forum, where these stories would not be lost and where Canada's homeless community could share their stories and refuse to be ignored.


Awards

*2009 World Summit Award for e-Inclusion and Participation *2009 New Media Award *2008 Canadian New Media Award *2008 Society for New Communications Research Award


References


External links


Homeless Nation official siteWorld Summit Award official siteSNCR.org


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The Tyee
Homelessness organizations Organizations based in Montreal Homelessness in Canada EyeSteelFilm