intersections of identity

Arts Based Approaches to Informing Systems Change on Poverty and Homelessness

 
 

The Intersections of Identity project, launched in March 2024, brought together artists, community organizers, and individuals with lived experience of poverty and houselessness across five Alberta communities: Lethbridge, Calgary, Wetaskiwin, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie. Rooted in healing, arts-based engagement, the project used beading as a medium for connection, cultural expression, and community-based research.

Led by Indigenous artists and shaped by themes developed by a diverse stewardship team, the sessions created safe, informal spaces where participants could share their stories, struggles, and visions for change. These gatherings took place in community spaces such as shelters, food banks, parks, and youth centers—places where unhoused people naturally come together. The initiative addressed the exclusion of lived experience in shaping systems that directly impact those most marginalized, including healthcare, shelter, justice, and public safety.

Supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the project emerged in response to growing challenges related to poverty, racism, and displacement. It emphasized the need to build policy and service solutions from the ground up—centering the voices of people too often ignored in decision-making processes.

We also would like to thank artists Carla Taylor, Melodie Bastien, Brenda Mercer and Fran Rogers for leading the beading session.

Community-Based Research Report

This report documents the insights gathered through 25 beading sessions held between March and August 2024. It explores the complex intersections of poverty, systemic racism, and social exclusion, and analyzes recurring themes shared by participants—such as the criminalization of homelessness, barriers to healthcare, challenges in child and family services, and the inaccessibility of basic human rights.

By preserving participants’ language and stories, the report offers a community-led framework for change. It outlines actionable recommendations for service providers, institutions, and policymakers to develop equitable, trauma-informed, and rights-based responses.

A Rights-Based Approach to Poverty and Houselessness

At its core, the Intersections of Identity project affirms that poverty is not just an economic issue—it is a human rights issue. Guided by international human rights law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the project underscores the urgent need to uphold rights to housing, food, healthcare, dignity, and safety.

Policy and Practice Recommendations Include:

  • Recognizing housing and food as human rights through accessible, community-led solutions.

  • Reforming the justice system to centre trauma-informed approaches.

  • Expanding healthcare access through culturally competent, inclusive services.

  • Centering lived experience in all aspects of policy development and service design.

  • Reclaiming public spaces to promote safety, belonging, and connection.

This work offers a path forward rooted in equity, resilience, and the leadership of those directly impacted. The Intersections of Identity project calls for a systemic shift—one that replaces exclusion and punishment with dignity, healing, and justice.  

These recommendations come directly from those who live the realities of poverty and displacement every day—let their voices guide the solutions we create.

We also want to acknowledge the incredible partnership and collaboration with Damian Abrahams of Indigital Media who helped to document the stories of Intersections of Identity and created a documentary to support the translation of learnings to the broader community.

This project has been made possible by Canadian Heritage (CSMARI). Ce projet a été rendu possible grâce au Patrimoine canadien (PMLCR).