A Better Tent City inspires how-to book

KITCHENER – A Better Tent City in Kitchener is the model other cities are seeking as additional support for the homeless, and a local has written the ultimate guide on how to set up these tiny shared apartments.

Local activist, author and founder of BetterStreet Tony D’Amato Stortz worked at A Better Tent City for over a year and now advises the Hamilton Alliance for Tiny Shelters and the cities of Belleville and Peterborough.

“I think that’s an idea whose time has come,” said D’Amato Stortz. “We are seeing a rise in unprotected homelessness across the country and governments and civil society are wringing their hands over what we are doing about it.

“And right here in Kitchener-Waterloo, we have a solution that works better than anyone thought.”

The nearly 100-page e-book is titled “A Home of Your Own: A Guide to Building a Tiny Homes Community.” lays out how to build a community like the tiny shacks on Ardelt Avenue in Kitchener. The book was published online on Monday.

A Better Tent City is now home to about 50 residents and has survived two relocations and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Autonomy is key to community success, D’Amato Stortz said.

“Housing works really well … but I think this model works for people who crave that dignity and need that independence,” he said.

The community consists of small cottages with perimeter supports and access to hydroelectric power and running water.

Residents can lock their doors and control who goes in and out of their homes. This approach “provides a blend of dignity and autonomy not found anywhere else in the system,” said D’Amato Stortz.

An estimated 1,000 people were homeless in the Waterloo area at the end of last year, with more than 400 sleeping on the streets or in camps.

Local politicians and people working with people affected by homelessness have indicated that the number has risen.

Data presented by the Waterloo Region as part of its court hearings to evict people living in tents on regional land on Victoria Street North suggests more than 1,600 people are on the region’s homeless and family information system .

D’Amato Stortz said there are more opportunities here to create additional small living communities, noting that each community and community will have different challenges.

“A Better Tent City is not a one-off, accidental miracle,” he said. “A better tent city is a model that can be replicated because it serves a group of people really well, and those are people who are underserved.”

D’Amato Stortz wrote the book after being approached by Paul Motz of the Motz Family Foundation. The idea was that Motz would fund the writing project on the condition that upon completion it would be available to all for free.

It took about three months to write and is available online here.

SHARE: