Woodstein Media Podcast Episode Six: It Takes a Village

Episode six features a conversation with Andrea Charest, Executive Director of It Takes a Village in Listowel, Ontario. It Takes a Village is a people-oriented, money-free, shop and social initiative offering community members support with food security, access to resources,  and assistance navigating systems such as court appointments, housing, and government support with a focus on being a welcoming and inclusive place to belong.

It Takes a Village officially helps folks living precariously cast a vote in Ontario election

It Takes a Village has been approved to be the location in North Perth to support community members living rough or without a fixed address to vote.

This means that The Village can assist people in filling out a “Certificate of Identity and Residence” form, verifying their current housing situation.

If the Village staff are familiar with the people, they can be endorsed and provided with a letter they take to the polls, and that becomes their ID, and they don’t have to provide anything else.

Politics are D.O.A., Keithley talks elections, housing, homelessness and Harmony for All

It’s a two-election year, at least in Ontario, provincial and municipal, and it’s time for people to be considering if they are going to step up to get their name on the ballot. Will it be the usual names people will have the option to vote for, or will there be new faces at the all-candidates meetings?

Joe Keithley has persevered in music for over 40 years as the leader of legendary Canadian punk band D.O.A. He successfully stepped into municipal politics in 2018 as a city councillor in Burnaby, British Columbia, and has proven that the will to keep trying can succeed in elections, even if you might be an outsider.