Winnipeg homeless shelters helping clients tackle voting barriers ahead of election day
Elections Canada providing letters shelters can use to vouch for people without IDs, fixed addresses
Homeless shelters in Winnipeg are working to ensure their clients are able to vote in Monday's federal election.
Advocates in the city say clients often face barriers that bar them from casting ballots, such as lack of fixed addresses and IDs. They also have a harder time keeping themselves informed, with few ways to access candidates' platforms.
Elections Canada workers have been giving shelter staff letters they can use to vouch for people who use their services, and prove their identity.
Edward Parisian doesn't have a fixed address and is currently staying at the Salvation Army's Centre of Hope. He said that won't stop him from having his say in this election.
"I always watch about it on the news, about who's running and all that, and I notice they gave us a form and they told us it's voting time," Parisian said Wednesday.
He said staff at the Centre of Hope are "letting people know where to go and stuff. They're doing that fine right now."
Margot Ross, senior manager for fundraising and volunteer development at Siloam Mission, said the organization will put up posters and staff will also be engaging community members to get them to participate in the election ahead of Monday's vote.
She said Siloam has forms provided by Elections Canada which they can use to vouch for people's identity if they don't have a photo ID.
"It's either they've lost it … or they just don't have it. So this letter makes a huge difference," she said, adding that it's not the only barrier preventing homeless people from participating in the democratic process.
"Some people who are unhoused, it's been just because of loss of a job, a divorce, loss of family and they're just not in the frame of mind [to vote]. It could also be … addictions."
At Main Street Project, outreach workers helped 17 people to vote in advance polls this long weekend, with more clients set to vote on election day.
Communications manager Cindy Titus said staff also printed out information about candidates in the leadup to the advance polls so people who wanted it could get access to it.
"A lot of the people that we serve here don't necessarily have access to the internet, so researching information on the candidates and their platforms is a barrier as well," she said.
"We did a lot of research to make sure that we know where to send people or where to take people if they're requiring transports.… Our team has been working very hard at this."
Housing, cost of living top of mind
Titus said about 10 to 15 people in their case management team will be working on election day to help people vote.
"Because the folks that we serve are so impacted by a lot of the issues that are happening in the world right now, they definitely want to participate in the process and use their voice," she said.
Ross said affordability issues are top of mind for the thousands of people that come to the shelter every day.
"I just kind of go with … who would support us out here more than anything," Parisian said. He's currently looking for a place to live.
"Housing would be very important right now," he said. "We go try to rent a place, it's hard to get a place because … there's not enough here."
With files from Josh Crabb