Daniel Majik (He/Him/His)
Tell us about yourself:
I'm a fourth year student of Justice, Political Philosophy and Law at McMaster. I was born and raised in Hamilton and I love this city for its grit, natural beauty, and unique character. I also have to recognize that it is a place with its own problems, but I'm confident that there are enough good people here with enough energy to make positive change.
For the last two years I have been volunteering at the Hub, a drop-in centre that provides food, clothing, hygiene products, harm reduction supplies, and connections to social services to people in Hamilton. As a shift-leader and coordinator at the Hub I have had the opportunity to get to know many people who are experiencing homelessness in Hamilton. My experience at CityLAB has been illuminating as I have been able to take a top-down view of our system of social services and see how different levels of government intend to combat homelessness.
I hope to continue my work in this area and incorporate what I have learned at CityLAB and the Hub to help vulnerable communities and make Hamilton even better.
How is your project going so far?
Our group is concentrating on issues surrounding transitional housing. We've tried to get an understanding of what transitional housing services are available in Hamilton and how they fit into a wider system of social and housing supports. We have found that this is a very complicated system with many different organizations and stakeholders involved. We are focusing on finding ways that these groups and the city can better collaborate in order to more effectively provide services and work together to achieve shared goals.