Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Today, there are more 235,000 people in Canada who are counted among the homeless annually and 35,000 who are homeless on any given night. Most of them are struggling with mental health issues. Join writers and journalists Denise Davy and Shawn Micallef in conversation about the grim impact of the deinstitutionalization of mental health care and the the urgent story of Margaret Jacobson, one of Hamilton's longest surviving homeless women.
This video is part of The Word On The Street Toronto’s ongoing City Imagines programming, a wide-ranging series of free online discussions that consider urban spaces and the people who live and create in them.
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Featured Books and Resources
Her Name Was Margaret: Life and Death on the Streets by Denise Davy: anotherstory.ca/item/o_qOYZ4my7i7eA-NH6e_2w
We encourage you to visit https://native-land.ca to learn more about the land you live on, wherever you’re tuning in from.
Connect with WOTS!
Website: toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca
Twitter: twitter.com/torontoWOTS
Instagram: instagram.com/torontowots
TikTok: tiktok.com/@torontowots
Facebook: facebook.com/torontoWOTS
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro & Meet the Panelists
3:35 About Margaret Jacobson
6:40 Research Process for Her Name Was Margaret, Working with Margaret’s Family, and Timing
17:01 History of the Deinstitutionalization of Mental Health Care in Canada
21:26 Fighting for Regulations in Rooming Houses
25:08 Cruel Attitudes of Margaret’s Social Workers
28:27 History of the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital
35:36 Models of Mental Health Institutions
38:02 COVID-19, Encampments, and Myths About Homelessness
42:14 Models for Reducing Homeless Populations
47:00 Effective Interventions by Individuals
54:12 Thoughts on Police and Mental Illness Training
58:01 Screening of Her Name Was Margaret
59:40 Final Thoughts & Thank You
Today, there are more 235,000 people in Canada who are counted among the homeless annually and 35,000 who are homeless on any given night. Most of them are struggling with mental health issues. Join writers and journalists Denise Davy and Shawn Micallef in conversation about the grim impact of the deinstitutionalization of mental health care and the the urgent story of Margaret Jacobson, one of Hamilton's longest surviving homeless women.
This video is part of The Word On The Street Toronto’s ongoing City Imagines programming, a wide-ranging series of free online discussions that consider urban spaces and the people who live and create in them.
---
Featured Books and Resources
Her Name Was Margaret: Life and Death on the Streets by Denise Davy: anotherstory.ca/item/o_qOYZ4my7i7eA-NH6e_2w
We encourage you to visit https://native-land.ca to learn more about the land you live on, wherever you’re tuning in from.
Connect with WOTS!
Website: toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca
Twitter: twitter.com/torontoWOTS
Instagram: instagram.com/torontowots
TikTok: tiktok.com/@torontowots
Facebook: facebook.com/torontoWOTS
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro & Meet the Panelists
3:35 About Margaret Jacobson
6:40 Research Process for Her Name Was Margaret, Working with Margaret’s Family, and Timing
17:01 History of the Deinstitutionalization of Mental Health Care in Canada
21:26 Fighting for Regulations in Rooming Houses
25:08 Cruel Attitudes of Margaret’s Social Workers
28:27 History of the Hamilton Psychiatric Hospital
35:36 Models of Mental Health Institutions
38:02 COVID-19, Encampments, and Myths About Homelessness
42:14 Models for Reducing Homeless Populations
47:00 Effective Interventions by Individuals
54:12 Thoughts on Police and Mental Illness Training
58:01 Screening of Her Name Was Margaret
59:40 Final Thoughts & Thank You
