An activist priest provides sanctuary for an encampment of unhoused people in her churchyard

We think, maybe, that homelessness is some kind of stable state, like being housed except without housing. Without really considering it, most people imagine that people who are homeless live in, if not one place, at least in one condition, that their days are in some way predictable. But homelessness is, more than anything else, a life of constant displacement.

The housing crisis plaguing major urban centres has sent countless people into the streets. In spring 2022, some of them found their way to the yard beside the Anglican church in Toronto’s Kensington Market, where Maggie Helwig is the priest. They pitched tents, formed an encampment, and settled in. Known as an outspoken social justice activist, Helwig has spent the last three years getting to know the residents and fighting tooth and nail to allow them to stay, battling various authorities that want to clear the yard and prefer to keep the results of the housing crisis out of sight and out of mind.

Encampment tells the story of Helwig’s lifelong activism as preparation for her fight to keep her churchyard open to people needing a home. More importantly, it introduces us to the Artist, to Jeff, and to Robin: their lives, their challenges, their humanity. It confronts our society’s callousness in allowing so many to go unhoused, and it demands, by bringing their stories to the fore, that we begin to respond with compassion and grace.

Maggie Helwig has published six books of poetry (most recently, One Building in the Earth), two books of essays, a collection of short stories and two previous novels, Where She Was Standing and Between Mountains. She is the events and sponsorship coordinator for the Scream Literary Festival. She also works for the Social Justice and Advocacy Board of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.

Maggie Helwig's profile page

Praise for the author:

“The story is so well structured, the writing so elegant, that it manages to be enjoyable as well as moving.” – Sunday Telegraph

“Prose of astonishing rhythm and precision…the real success of Girls Fall Down lies in its thematic scope, which is as broad as its geography is narrow. Since 9/11, countless novels have examined the complicated role fear plays in our lives. What makes Helwig's better than most is the depth and nuance of her dark vision.” – The Walrus

“[Helwig] has an expert ear for the music of the line, and for other kinds of music, too…Empathetic grief – part prayer, part keening – and brief moments of tenderness between human beings are what she shores up against the recursive horrors of the world.” – The Globe and Mail