Concert to raise money for Edmonton's homeless

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A news conference was held at the Mennonite Centre in downtown Edmonton on Oct. 28 to announce a concert called Homefest 2003. The concert will feature nine local folk music acts, including Maria Dunn, Laura Vinson and Dale Ladouceur. It is being held to raise awareness about and to establish a winter emergency crisis fund for the homeless people of the city.

The fund is to be used whenever the emergency shelters are overflowing during cold snaps.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the concert at St. Faith's Anglican Church at 11725-95th St. on Nov. 30. The four-hour concert will run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will also feature a children's activity centre.

Specially created buttons to enter the concert can be purchased at a number of places throughout the city for $5 each, including Myhre's Music on 118th Ave., Urban Grind Coffee on 124 St., Organic Roots Foods on 112 St. and the Second Cup restaurant located at the Milner Library downtown.

Entertainer Laura Vinson said that she is concerned about the homelessness issue and deals with it through her work with the Ben Calf Robe Society. As executive director she's seen people have their children apprehended because they did not have a home.

"I've seen this happen, not because they were not good parents, but because they just did not have a place to stay and the reason was they just could not afford an apartment, and that is so wrong," she said.

Vinson said the situation reminds her of a song she co-wrote called Two Paycheques From Homeless.

"I believe that we are all in that situation. If you lose a paycheque or two and you cannot pay the rent, then you are out in the street and we do have a lot of Aboriginal people who are homeless. These days it is not just the people who are choosing to be non-productive in society that are in a homeless circumstance, but there are people who are working but not getting paid enough. They are finding it hard to make ends meet. They are getting paid minimum wage or close to it and they are barely able to afford a place to live. Some of them cannot keep their children. I find this not right," she said.

Vinson hopes that this concert will bring awareness to the public about this issue.

"I think that there are many people in the population who have no idea how close to the edge many, many people live. Not by their own choice.

"So we have to make people aware of that so that they in turn can make our governing bodies aware of that so then we can address this situation. I hope that people will no longer find themselves in these circumstances, and that there will be affordable housing for all people. Some social assistance rates are so low that people are kicked out into the streets just because they cannot afford a house.

"I mean when a woman and a baby are given $713 a month to live on, that is low. Most of the time you cannot even rent an apartment for $700. I sure hope that there is a good turnout, and I hope that this event will bring some awareness to the public and hopefully through media the awareness will be raised."