BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:icalendar-ruby
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260506T132135Z
UID:900-326245@stmarysoakbay.ca
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260521
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260523
CLASS:PUBLIC
CREATED:20260505T102358
DESCRIPTION:Christ Church Cathedral is pleased to present a conference on h
omelessness in Victoria. All events are free to attend and open to all. \
n7:00pm Thursday May 21 - A Framing Lecture\n"A Theology of Home in a Time
of Homelessness" presented by Dr. Siobhan Garrigan\n\nDr. Garrigan is the
Loyola Chair of Theology and Trinity College Dublin and the Head of the S
chool for Religions\, Peace Studies\, and Theology. She works primarily at
the intersection of theology and social justice\, specifically through th
e lens of sacramental theology\, interpreting the material as spiritual an
d the embodied as the locus of divine revelation. Dr. Garrigan previously
served as founding director of Emmaus Coventry\, a charity that empowers p
eople to overcome homelessness through tailored support in communal living
and gaining employment skills in the recycling industry. She has a weekly
radio broadcast called Witness that connects theology with current even
ts.\n
\nFriday May 22 - Panel Discuss
ions on Policy\nPanel 1 (9:00am) - Explaining Basic Issues\nThis panel wil
l help people understand things like what factors lead to people being unh
oused\, what is the relationship between mental health\, addiction\, and h
omelessness\, and why is the indigenous homeless rate disproportionate to
the overall population\, in an attempt to dispel misperception and equip p
eople with the knowledge to meaningful think about public policy.\nPanel 2
(10:30am) - Gaps\, Barriers\, and Policy Failures\nThe second panel will
inform us about what perpetuates homelessness in Victoria\, including gaps
in service\, barriers to re-housing\, and policy failures that exacerbate
the struggle.\nPanel 3 (2:00pm) - Signs of Hope and Avenues for Advocacy\
nThe third panel turns to what is working\, where we see progress\, and ar
eas where advocacy and direct involvement can make real and lasting change
.\nPanel 4 (3:30pm) - Faithful Response - Theological Reflection on Public
Policy\nThis final session will see our keynote lecturer\, our bishop\, a
nd our diocesan theologian reflect on how our faith should inform the poli
cy decisions we support and the call it puts on our lives to love all our
neighbours and create a better community.\nSaturday May 23 - Storytelling
and Engagement\nSession 1 (10:00am) - A reading from "Encampment" by autho
r Maggie Helwig\nThe Rev. Maggie Helwig tells the story of the encampment
that set up on the yard of her church in Toronto’s Kensington Market. Sh
e befriends the people living on her churchyard and fights for them to be
able to experience it as a home. The book calls us to confront the callous
ness that allows is to live with so many neighbours who are unhoused and a
sks us to respond with compassion and grace.\n
\nSession 2 (1:00pm) - A viewing of "940 Caledonia" with documentarian
Krista Loughton\nShot during the pandemic\, this film tells the story of T
ina Dawson who found herself living on the streets of Victoria for the fir
st time during a frigid winter. It helps the viewer to understand the real
ities of such an ordeal while also advocating for the creation of sanction
ed spaces for the unhoused rather than the proliferation of encampments in
various parks and alleyways.\n
\nSessi
on 3 (2:30pm) - Life Stories from Those Who Lived Them\nWe will hear from
people who lived unhoused for some time in their lives – what it was rea
lly like\, what helped them survive and now thrive\, what they want us to
know.\n
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T102358
LOCATION:Christ Church Cathedral
SUMMARY:A Conference on Homelessness in Victoria
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.stmarysoakbay.ca/events/a-conference-on-homelessn
ess-in-victoria/2026-05-21
ATTACH;FILENAME=archive assist.png;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://dq5pwpg1q8ru0.
cloudfront.net/2026/05/05/16/45/53/2e95a2d5-cb1e-4905-bc55-63d9aa422b80/ar
chive%20assist.png
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR