The Faces of Hunger: Nadine and Laura’s story

Everyone has a story—and by sharing stories about food insecurity in Waterloo region, we hope to raise awareness and educate our community that hunger can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This is Nadine and Laura’s story.

A Better Tent City participant.

Born out of the belief that housing is a human right, A Better Tent City in Kitchener currently houses 50 people who previously experienced homelessness. Each person is given an 8’x10’ foot cabin to live in and has access to food, showers, and laundry facilities. An additional 40 guests also access the organization’s services.  

“It’s not a shelter; it’s a home,” says Nadine Green, the site coordinator at A Better Tent City, one of 120 community programs and agency partners with the Community Food Assistance Network and supported by The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. “Residents help around the community, and they have a say. They have a new outlook on life. They have hope.” 

Residents and guests also have regular access to medical care. Twice a week, The Waterloo Region Community Health Van, operated by Sanguen Health Centre—also a part of the Network—is onsite to provide a variety of healthcare services. 

“There’s excellent access to healthcare,” says Laura Hamilton, who sits on A Better Tent City’s Board of Directors. “People are physically and mentally healthier.” 

Residents and guests can also enjoy the amenities in the community living space where they can play pool, watch television, and read the newspaper. The kitchen is also located in the community living space. This is where volunteers prepare breakfasts, lunches, and dinners throughout the week as well as brunches on the weekends using food from The Food Bank. Residents and guests help with both meal prep and clean up depending on the day and what’s on the menu. 

“It’s a labour of love,” Laura says. “We could not exist without The Food Bank.” 

Laura also mentions there’s always sandwiches in the fridge as well as a mix of both nutritious and not-so-nutritious snacks available such as apples and donuts. 

“There’s always something healthy… and something you want to eat,” Nadine says with a smile. 

“Nadine serves dinner but other than that, it’s a self-serve place,” Laura adds. “We don’t want people to have to ask for a snack. Residents have autonomy to take what they want.” 

A Better Tent City serves about 9,000 meals per month to both residents and guests. While they are proud of all that’s been accomplished, the biggest challenge they wrestle with is that they can’t help everyone experiencing homelessness. 

“The number of people who don’t have anywhere to go grows every day,” Laura says. “We need affordable housing. We need housing for everyone. It takes public funding and collective political will to look after everyone.” 

In the meantime, they will continue to support as many people as they can for as long as their help is needed. They invite you to join the cause. 

“Get to know somebody who is homeless,” Nadine says. “And don’t judge.” 

To learn more about A Better Tent City, visit abettertentcity.org.