Dougals MacLellan invested the better part of the pandemic taking portraits of people in Waterloo region who are experiencing homelessness and those pictures are now recorded in his most current book: Making Home.The Windsor, Ont., professional photographer has actually had ties to the region. As a trainee at Conestoga College in the 1980s, he met Joe and Stephanie Mancini, the creators of The Operating Centre.
“In the summer season of 2020, Joe provided me a call and stated, ‘Doug there’s something fascinating going on called A Better Camping tent City, I suggest you come see,'” MacLellan informed Craig Norris, host of CBC Kitchener-Waterloo’s The Early morning Edition, on Wednesday.MacLellan said during
the pandemic he hung out learning more about the people at A Better Camping Tent City — situated in the parking lot of the event area Lot 42 in Kitchener at the time — and made regular check outs to the University Opportunity interim housing building in Waterloo, in addition to the former St. Andrew’s emergency situation shelter in Kitchener in 2021– all locations supported by The Working Centre.It was throughout those sees that MacLellan heard their stories and gotten in touch with some of the locals, who ultimately allowed him to take their picture.” I think the secret to it is returning overtime. Whenever I was in Kitchener, I ‘d decrease to A Better Camping tent City and speak with whoever exists,”he said.Making House is a visual journey of Waterloo region’s homeless population and the people who help. Windsor photographer Douglas MacLellan is behind the images, taken during the pandemic at 3 various locations supported by the Working Centre.(Carmen Groleau/CBC)’They’re just like us’All the images in the book remain in colour, MacLellan said,
spread out over 60 pages.
Many are pictures of the citizens, while others are of the volunteers and employees at the 3 locations.MacLellan said he also captured moments in their every day lives and photographed words and poetry written on walls or benches. The book begins with an introduction from Joe Mancini and ends with MacLellan’s notes and observations.MacLellan stated among the greatest remove for him was the sense of neighborhood he experienced while working on the task. He hopes individuals see those caught in the images
for what they are: individuals.”They’re individuals just like us, “he stated. “I met Olympic staff member who are homeless and fighters, gymnasts, I have actually met doctors. They’re similar to us.” MacLellan stated he wanted to record individuals in the minute, like this image, taken when A Much better Tent City was located at Lot 42. (Douglas MacLellan )At the centre of homelessness For Joe Mancini,
MacLellan’s dedication to be familiar with the citizens is what makes the images and the book so unique.”He was likewise able to record their qualities, their character of survival, however also living. Living life in
the context, where things don’t work out however it’s still a beautiful life in how they’re making things work,”Mancini informed CBC News.Mancini stated
when The Working Centre opened 40 years earlier, it mainly focused on employment services. Now, the organizations is at the heart of the region’s homelessness and real estate strategies. Mancini keeps in mind the turning point when he recognized something needed to be done to resolve homelessness in the neighborhood back in the early 2010s.”[ In 2013] that was when the Out of the Cold closed, however we said there were possibly 40 people who
were chronically homeless. To some extent that was true, however bubbling below was something going on,”he said.”By 2019, there were 250 individuals who did not have shelter, who were not in the shelter system, so something took place in between 2015. We say miracle drugs removed in that duration.”That’s when Mancini stated they started to end up being more associated with the real estate and shelter space, growing a small task into something more long-term with the help from the region.Joe Mancini is the director and founder of The Working Centre. He wrote an intro in MacLellan’s book, Making Home. (Carmen Groleau/CBC)”
The area has provided the resources to make that take place,”he said describing projects like the University Opportunity interim real estate task and motel rooms the region has offered for those chronically homeless since the start of the pandemic.The Working Centre has also partnered with the area to support those at the 100 Victoria encampment, run the 24-7 shelter on King Street
in Kitchener and soon will be at the helm of the region’s hybrid shelter on Erb’s Roadway in Waterloo when it opens in February.Being involved in the early days of A Much better Tent City, Mancini said they will be taking those experiences and lessons found out to run the hybrids shelter.Mancini said they also have two real estate tasks on the go, which he hopes will be all set in 2023. “Through the quick housing initiative, we were able to buy the structure next door, 58 Queen St., creating 21 systems of real estate, “he stated, noting they will be for single, new-Canadian parents.He includes the 2nd real estate task on Victoria Street will have 44 systems readily available and he wishes to begin building and construction in March.