GUELPH - A Guelph man is opting to sleep outside for the rest of the winter to advocate and support his unhoused friends — and he’s doing it behind the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building.
Several tents appeared on the Woolwich Street property Tuesday afternoon and evening, one of which belongs to Greg Dorval.
Dorval, who volunteers with Royal City Mission, spent a year without housing, largely relying on the shelter system.
However, he’s been housed for the past year.
“I’m down here to support them and also act as an ambassador for them to the broader community,” he said, adding that many don’t want to speak to the media or the public because of “years and years of being judged.”
“I was homeless for a year before. And this community… I couldn’t have gone through that without them,” he said. “Even though I was housed a year ago, I still come downtown every day. I’ve felt more connected to a group of people in the past year and a half than I have in my whole life.”
A lot of the struggles he’s seeing his friends go through are things he himself experienced years ago. He remembers sitting alone in a “shitty studio apartment, wishing I had a best friend, a brother” – someone to help him get through it.
“You can’t imagine how fulfilling it is to try my best to be that for someone,” he said. “Every single person out here deserves, at the very least, love.”
Plus, he has wilderness survival skills, having hiked through places like the Himalayas, and wants to share that knowledge with others when it comes to keeping warm and surviving outside.
“I’m planning on continuing to do everything I can, which includes staying here, to help see my brothers and sisters through the winter,” he said.
Dorval is set up in the courtyard garden with three of his friends, all of whom are unhoused.
It’s no coincidence that they are on County of Wellington property: the timing lines up with the two-day housing symposium happening this week, which public and media were not allowed to attend.
However, Dorval said they plan to ride the winter out in that spot long after the symposium is over.
It’s a good location survival-wise, being well sheltered from the wind.
Plus, it’s a beautiful spot.
“I think no matter where you are, we all deserve the opportunity to find moments of (beauty and) peace,” he said.
So far, he said it seems as though people aren’t thrilled they’re there. But he hopes policymakers will visit and listen to what he has to say.
“I hope I can represent many perspectives,” he said, adding that he’s developed relationships and trust in the community, and thinks he can paraphrase their concerns and perspectives while respecting their privacy.
In his mind, the biggest issue is creating adequate and affordable housing combined with continuous care.
“I would love to see a pilot project in the community that drives that,” he said, adding that he’s put a call out to MPP Mike Schreiner, the CAO Scott Wilson and Mayor Cam Guthrie to look into such a project.
“What’s critical is the continuity of care at the ground level. It would make a world of difference to everybody out here,” he said.
