‘This is a powerful thing’: Niagara woman lives outdoors to promote campaign

One Beamsville woman traded in the comforts of her own home for the discomfort of living in a tent.

Irene Romagnoli is wrapping up her week-long campaign to raise awareness about the homelessness issue in Lincoln, an initiative she is calling “Her Home is a Tent.”

She decided to live in a tent outside of Trinity United Church to experience a week in the life that many people in the province are forced to live.

“There are so many problems that have popped up that I don’t know how to deal with,” Romagnoli said. “I don’t have running water, I don’t have a lot of the simple basic things people need and take with then when they go on a camping trip.”

A representative from Community Care of West Niagara says their organization sees around 790 people using their food security and housing stability programs every month.

“This time last year, we were about 32 to 35 per cent less than what we are serving now, so it has gone up significantly,” the representative said.

Romagnoli’s last day of her campaign is Saturday, and she says she is hoping to see more community engagement with her campaign in its final days.

“I’m going to push through as hard as I can, because if I can make it to the end, that shows people that this is a thing, this is a powerful thing, this isn’t just me trying to pull a stunt,” she said.

READ MORE: Hamiltonians celebrate annual Ronald McDonald House tree lighting