Are YOU a YIMBYer?

by | May 1, 2019 | Blog, YIMBY

Later this month, Redwood will launch Barrie’s first YIMBY week, and all YIMBYers are invited!

What’s YIMBY?
YIMBY stands for “Yes In My Back Yard” and it is a social movement that has risen up in cities all over North America to combat NIMBYism, or “Not In My Back Yard.”

Most people agree that homelessness is a shame, and that affordable housing needs to be developed, but some people say, “Yes, somewhere else, but not here.”
(You know, YSWEBNH …just kidding, that’s not a thing.)

​The YIMBY movement looks a little different in each city. In some places it involves activism around zoning bylaws. But we think the REAL reason people don’t want “other” people in their neighbourhood is because they just don’t know them yet.

We happen to think that we all have a role to play in making sure that our city is affordable and accessible for everyone who lives here. 

That everyone deserves a safe, affordable, hopeful place to call home. 

That everyone belongs.

And that cities that embrace this are better for it.

The 2018 Homeless Enumeration Report states that 305 people self-identified as being homeless right here in Barrie. 

Part of ending homelessness is building more affordable housing. And at Redwood we are working on that every day with multiple partners.

​​But another big part of ending homelessness is recognizing that we are all more alike than different.
​
Breaking down the imaginary “us” and “them” barriers.

And in order to do that, we need to get to know each other. 

​Build longer tables, not higher fences.

As the queen of connection Brene Brown says: “People are hard to hate close up. Move in.”​
​​So this month we will be exploring and dispelling some myths about homelessness and generally encouraging everyone to get to know their neighbours.

We truly believe that Barrie is a vibrant city full of people who take care of each other, so we are going to celebrate that, May 27-31, 2019. 

It’s Barrie’s first YIMBY Week, and you’re invited. 🙂

How can you get involved?

  1. Sign up for the YIMBY email list.
  2. Follow and use the hashtags #YIMBYBarrie and #IamaYIMBYer on social media to contribute to the conversation! Stories, quotes, articles, pictures, anything that shows why YOU are a YIMBYer. 
  3. Pre-order a lawn sign. Yes, there are lawn signs! They are $10 and proceeds go to creating safe, affordable, hopeful housing in Barrie. We are good at a lot of things at Redwood, but estimating is not super high on that list, so we are doing pre-orders until May 10 and then putting in our print order. Get one while you can!

​That’s it for now! The countdown is on, so watch for more details throughout the lead up to May 27. 

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