Ordinary People, Extraordinary Advocacy: “It Starts in Circles”

This is the final blog post in our 3-part series spotlighting incredible citizens engaged in housing advocacy for the Halton community

This is Laurel Grace.

Laurel Grace first became interested in housing justice during the wintertime. She saw people sleeping on the streets and could not see them freeze to death. So, she took action.

A retired social worker, at 83 years old, Laurel is still actively involved in her community today. She participates in monthly meetings at her church, organizing letter writing and petition signing campaigns. You can still see her picketing on the frontlines of protests, and showing up to municipal council meetings to support affordable housing projects.

Laurel describes that it’s important for her to know the particular views of people on council, “because they are making decisions for our community. It helps to understand their point-of-view and the limits of their power”.

This becomes even more relevant during a municipal election year where council members may be seeking re-election and new community members seek positions (learn more at: https://www.cdhalton.ca/municipal-election).

Learning from the Frontline

Laurel's understanding of poverty has developed from years of working alongside people navigating impossible circumstances.

One of her biggest realizations was coming to terms with how gruelling poverty can be and how it slowly grinds down people's sense of possibility.

"When I was working with people on Ontario Works, I saw them spend their money on things like colour televisions. I didn't understand that," Laurel recalls. "Then I realized that when you've been in the system long enough, you develop an understanding of what is available to you. There is a lack of hope for the future. People don't believe that if they work hard, they can get somewhere."

What Laurel once viewed as individual choices, she came to understand as the result of systemic barriers.

Housing instability, poverty, and social exclusion do not simply affect someone for a few months or years. They shape expectations. They influence self-esteem. They can be passed between generations.

"The more I learned," Laurel says, "the more I realized how systemic the problem is."

That lesson fundamentally changed how she viewed housing justice. It was no longer about helping individual people survive difficult circumstances. It was about understanding and challenging the systems that create those circumstances in the first place.

Unlearning "Othering"

When asked what she would say to someone interested in housing justice, Laurel's answer was surprisingly honest.

"There is a piece of me that is afraid," she says. "I'm afraid of people I don't know. I'm afraid of my own biases that I don't know about."

For Laurel, advocacy has involved confronting those fears.

She remembers volunteering through her church and visiting Wellington Square. The group leader encouraged volunteers not only to serve meals, but to sit down and eat with the people they were serving.

Some volunteers found this uncomfortable. Others struggled to start conversations.

What Laurel witnessed was something she has spent much of her life thinking about: the tendency to create distance between ourselves and people we perceive as different.

"The fear of othering," she calls it. Advocacy, in her view, begins when we move beyond that fear.

It Starts in Circles

When asked what the antidote to othering might be, Laurel spoke of community.

"It starts in circles," Laurel says. For her, meaningful change happens when people find common ground and build enough trust to be authentic with one another. She sees examples everywhere. A seniors' walking group organized online. A drumming circle. Church gatherings. Community conversations that bring people together around shared experiences.

She also believes storytelling plays an important role. When people find the courage to share their experiences, Laurel says, something powerful happens. Trust begins to grow. Understanding deepens. Communities become stronger.

The circles may start small, but impact spreads outward.

Hope in the Long View

At 83 years old, Laurel brings something unique to conversations about social change: perspective.

She is quick to acknowledge that progress can feel painfully slow. Poverty has existed throughout her lifetime. Housing challenges have persisted for decades.

Yet she remains hopeful. Part of that hope comes from her appreciation of history.

"We have always had people living in poverty," she says. "But we have come a long way."

Rather than becoming discouraged by how much work remains, Laurel stays grounded in acceptance that meaningful change rarely happens overnight.

What struck me most about Laurel's approach was her willingness to continue showing up, even without any guarantee of immediate results.

She has learned not to work solely for an outcome. She works because she believes people deserve dignity, community, and care. And because silence helps nothing.

"We need to speak our truth," she says. "Because I wish it's what people had said to me."

From Advocacy to Belonging

Across this series, we've met people whose journeys into housing advocacy began in different ways.

Karen's compassion turned into action. Jerry transformed concern into organized advocacy. Sara discovered the power of opportunity and support. Garth witnessed the life-changing impact of stable housing. And Laurel reminds us that meaningful change begins when we challenge our assumptions and build community.

Their stories point to the same conclusion: housing justice is not the responsibility of experts alone. It belongs to all of us.

Whether that means attending a council meeting, writing a letter, volunteering, supporting affordable housing, joining a community group, or simply taking the time to know a neighbour's story, every act matters.

As Laurel reminds us, change begins in circles. One conversation. One relationship. One act of courage. And, over time, those circles grow.

Join the Halton Housing Action Network to contribute to the movement for housing for all in Halton. Visit the Civic Labs page to learn more.