Edmontonians gather to honour National Housing Day [Video]

A small group of Edmontonians gathered outside in the snowstorm Saturday to raise awareness on the housing crisis.

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This summer, Edmonton’s main housing agency, Homeward Trust, reported a dramatic 47-per-cent rise in the number of residents living unhoused or in temporary accommodations.

The Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECHH) invited the group out in support of the more than 4,000 community members believed to be living without a home.

It was one of 15 similar events held in Canada to mark National Housing Day.

“Today is a day all across Canada to say to people, we have got to recover that tradition of building social housing for people that are struggling,” ECHH spokesperson Jim Gurnett said.

“Individual lives will be healthier and safer, but we have to get on with it.”

Participants were asked to wrap themselves in a …