DYING FOR
A HOME

Homeless Activists
Speak Out

Cathy Crowe

with Nancy Baker, Brian Boyd, Bonnie and Kerre Briggs, Kevin Clarke, The Colonel, Dri, James Kagoshima, Marty Lang, and Melvin Tipping

$26.95 CDN
192 pages
978-1-897071-22-9

CATHY CROWE ALWAYS WANTED to be a nurse but she never planned to be a street nurse -- a title she continues to use to evoke the horror of homelessness in a rich country like Canada. In Dying for a Home Crowe brings us the voices of ten homeless activists advocating for change. The word homeless conjures many stereotypes, but rarely does it suggest bravery, courage, charisma, or intelligence, qualities demonstrated by each of these determined individuals.

The contents of Crowe's nursing bag reveal the hard truth of her specialty. Her vitamins will not prevent the white plague of tuberculosis from taking another life. The duct tape to fix a cardboard shelter, or the bus ticket to get an elderly man to a hot air grate, will not ensure a peaceful night of safety and sleep. Crowe's experience has taught her that the only thing homeless people have in common is being de-housed and forced to live in conditions of poverty. It is this first-hand experience with the disgrace of homelessness that turned her into a housing advocate and introduced her to the ten contributors to Dying for a Home.


"[Dying for a Home] is not a polemic. It tells the stories of ordinary Canadians - people with jobs and families and dreams - who fell into homelessness. It gives them names and identities and voices. It offers a glimpse into their world, with all its ugliness, hardship, humour and hope." - The Toronto Star

Cathy Crowe and Bonnie Briggs at the Toronto book launch:



Bookshorts video: Cathy Crowe and Kerre Briggs in Toronto:

"A lot of people talk the talk about Social Justice. Cathy Crowe walks the walk, and she walks it together with the most vulnerable in our society. The powerful ignore her at their peril, she can't be stopped and she can't be silenced. Thanks heavens for that. Cathy shines a light on the dark little secret of poverty in our affluent country. If people like her ran our country, we'd all be better off."

Buzz Hargrove, President CAW - Canada


"Dying for a Home is heart wrenching and inspiring. This book is even more impressive because Crowe and her co-authors manage to pull this off in the middle of the immense crisis they live in every day. Dying for a Home is required reading for anyone concerned about the ongoing emergency of homelessness.

Sarah Polley, Director, Actor, Activist


"Why do those who can make a difference fail to act? Street nurse Cathy Crowe and the remarkable individuals she introduces us to make clear what needs to be done. Their formula should be ours: witness + honesty + speaking out = the right thing to do. We have in this book a powerful and moving series of first-hand witness statements. The rest is up to us."

J. David Hulchanski, Professor and Director, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto


"Cathy Crowe? There is no more remarkable person I know in Canada. Her work has saved hundreds of lives on the streets of Toronto. Here's your opportunity to hear from some of the people she knows. Listen, Listen, Listen.

Shirley Douglas, Actor, Activist


"Cathy Crowe has undoubtedly saved many lives over the last thirty-five years as a street-nurse. Now, she's given the rest of us a gift -- she has invited us into her life, and introduced us to her fabulous circle of friends. They are sophisticated, wise and worldly folks. The only thing they have in common is that they are displaced people, discarded and de-housed by a system that has produced unprecedented wealth and prosperity, and at the same time, a permanent underclass of a quarter of a million homeless. Read this book and it will pierce the surface of your complacency, touch the core of your humanity, tickle you and teach you in equal measure. It will literally change the way you walk down the street."

Avi Lewis, Filmmaker/Journalist