3rd eye street media startup fund

I'm an artist, writer, and former veterinary technician from a family of activists. Despite my roles, being a mother is most important. Circumstances beyond my control left me homeless, unable to care for my child like I hoped to be able to. The journey to homelessness was tough, and finding stable housing is still a struggle.

After splitting from my son's father in 2019 i worked three jobs to support my family.

My also homeless mother was hospitalized due to an error brought on by discrimination, so I cared for her while managing my commitments. The pandemic led to job loss and my vehicle being impounded, making my situation worse.

One day, I heard about the Lebreton flats development area on a battery-operated radio in my room in a run down rooming house that was basically condemned and had no power for nearly 8 months. Outraged by the lack of recognition for my grandmother's social housing efforts, I feel compelled to act.

My grandmother, Dorothy O'Connell, was an activist honoured for anti-poverty work, her monument still stands at city hall. I want to continue her legacy, but as someone without stable housing, I need support.

I'm ready to advocate for others but struggle to seek help for myself. Instead, I plan to start a project inspired by my grandmother's work that benefits everyone.

Ottawa City Council declared a homelessness emergency in 2020. While the number of people living in shelters declined in 2020 and 2021, it rose again in 2022 and remains higher than it was 10 years ago.

The number of homeless encampments in Ottawa has been on the rise, reaching an all-time high during the pandemic. City staff have responded to 375 encampments so far in 2023, compared to 343 in 2022 and 248 in 2021. !

Access to services, and social, educational, and physical barriers hinder chronically unstably housed individuals. Inadequate healthcare, untreated mental health concerns, an opiate crisis, and burnt-out support workers worsen the situation. Despite challenges, being socioeconomically disadvantaged shouldn't lead to mistreatment. The aftermath of COVID-19, an addiction epidemic, funding cuts, and policy failures contribute to rising homelessness rates. Affordable housing is decreasing while homelessness, addiction, and poor mental health rates are increasing. Mainstream information doesn't fully reflect the reality of those facing hardships.

Who we are

Victims of both circumstances, chance, systemic failures, housing shortages, and discrimination. We are a society within your society, but so far removed from it. We are the people who sit on the ground. The people that have nothing, but would jump at the chance to help anyone with anything they need no matter the cost. We are the broke, hungry, sad, drug-addicted, mentally Ill, street people that some may call “degenerates”. But who wants to be like everyone else? Every single member of the streets has had more hardship than anyone should ever endure, and every injustice committed against each one of us fuels a fire already burning inside me. One that will never go out.

Third Eye Street Media is my idea for a non-profit media publishing platform dedicated to amplifying and advocating for the voices and perspectives of individuals living in chronically unstable situations in Ottawa from a real ground level perspective.

About Us

Third Eye Street Media is a non-profit media publishing platform committed to amplifying the voices and experiences of individuals living in poverty. Our unique ground-level perspective ensures that we bridge the gap between marginalized communities and the broader public. Through art, news, and media created by those in poverty, we challenge stereotypes, combat misinformation, advocate for change.

We believe if we minimize the amount of discrimination and stigma people in poverty face, we will be able to see an end to the homelessness crisis In ottawa.

“ equality stops poverty, poverty stops equality. “

-Dorothy O’Connell

Our Mission

Empowering Voices: We provide a platform for underrepresented voices, ensuring that their stories are heard. By sharing authentic narratives, art, and written pieces by people with lived experience we can raise awareness about poverty and socio-economic discrimination. The information shared through our outlet will also serve as means for collecting data to better understand the needs of the individuals in poverty, as well as help to understand what services might be lacking or needing improvement. Data and information sharing will help us end poverty!

Ending Homelessness: Our work directly contributes to minimizing homelessness rates. We believe that informed citizens can drive policy changes and create a more equitable society. People who feel like they belong and are treated equally will be more likely to behave more appropriately, maintain stable housing, maintain contact with supports, and feel a sense of community and have better self esteem. This minimizes recurring homelessness.

Our Vision

Third Eye Street Media envisions a world where:

* Every Voice Matters: We champion the opinions of homeless and low-income individuals. Their perspectives inform policy decisions and social services. We hope to accurately represent and convey the messages, day to day experiences, and needs of all people experiencing discrimination or unstable situations in Ottawa.

* Inclusivity Prevails: We create a safe space where marginalized individuals can comfortably share their ideas without fear of judgment. An art and media platform where nobody has to fear rejection (like that of a traditional publishing avenue).

* A more equitable Ottawa: most of all, we envision a more equitable society. One where discrimination due to financial or housing status is not an every day occurrence. We envision compassion and humanity to be restored in Ottawa. If we all work together to make Ottawa a more compassionate and equitable city, we can make homelessness a thing of the past.

The Gap in Media Representation

Underrepresentation: Traditional media often overlooks the voices of homeless individuals. Their stories, struggles, and resilience remain hidden, perpetuating stereotypes and misconceptions.

Sensationalism vs. Authenticity: Mainstream media tends to sensationalize homelessness, focusing on extreme cases or negative incidents. This approach lacks nuance and fails to capture the everyday experiences of those affected. Hearing only negativity in the newsrlated to homelessness also further ingrained stigmatizing views and bias among the general public.

Lack of Ground-Level Perspective: Journalists and news outlets rarely engage directly with homeless communities. As a result, their reporting lacks the authenticity that comes from lived experiences.

Benefits of Third Eye Street Media

Amplifying Authentic Voices: Third Eye Street Media sources content directly from those in poverty. By sharing their narratives, we humanize the issue, fostering empathy and understanding.

Challenging Stereotypes: Our platform challenges prevailing stereotypes about homelessness. Through art, news, and media, we present a multifaceted view, dispelling myths and promoting informed discussions.

Advocacy and Policy Influence: Third Eye Street Media actively engages with policymakers, advocating for better social services and policy changes. By amplifying voices, we drive tangible impact.

Community Empowerment: We empower marginalized individuals to share their talents, ideas, and stories. By doing so, we create a sense of agency and belonging within the community.

Collaboration: Partnering with Third Eye Street Media allows organizations to contribute directly to ending poverty. Together, we build bridges, raise awareness, and work toward lasting change.

Our Values

1. Ground-Level Perspective: Authentic insights come from lived experiences. We prioritize content directly from those in poverty.

2. Advocacy: We actively advocate for policy changes and better social services.

3. Inclusivity: Our platform welcomes all voices, regardless of background.

4. Accuracy and Perspective: We uphold journalistic integrity, presenting diverse viewpoints.

5. Collaboration: Together, we create lasting impact.

Creating, Publishing and Publicizing Art, News, and Media:

3ESM provides our own content as well as a platform for individuals living in poverty or with lived experience dealing with the issues surrounding poverty (homelessness, mental health, substance abuse) to share their artistic creations, personal stories, and perspectives through various mediums, including visual art, written pieces, audiovisual content, and more.

We are a judgement free publishing platform, so nobody need fear rejection of their submissions, and all submissions will be published* because every voice matters**.

We will also work closely with anyone who submits work (should they decide to pursue and continue submissions) to offer opportunities to improve, learn new skills, and collaborate on events,public art, feature stories, art shows and gallery exhibitions, etc.

* as long as the submissions do not violate the publishing policy of 3ESM.

** this is not limited to people who are or have experienced homelessness. We value insight and perspective from ALL individuals that have something to say on the topics we cover and we encourage ANYONE who has anything to say even a comment or question to contact us to talk about it further.

Community News and Reporting:

3ESM covers local news and community events relevant to individuals living in poverty. Our main print publication called “The Awakener” sheds light on issues, initiatives, and success stories within the community and informs the public about any topics relating to what poverty and homelessness is really like. It will also include up to date relevant information and community news relating to homelessness and other topics that are relevant to this community. This will be both informative for those who are on the streets, as well as insightful for those who aren’t.

Advocacy and Awareness Campaigns:

The organization develops campaigns and initiatives aimed at raising awareness about poverty, combating misinformation, and advocating for policy changes and improved social services.

Will actively and consistently take comments, suggestions, and ask questions do polls, surveys etc to gather information that is ever changing as much as we can to get ideas on how to better represent people in need. Homelessness is multi faceted problem and therefore needs constant monitoring and multi modal solutions! We will write petitions, grants, host protests, attend meetings and info sessions as needed to self advocate for our needs as individuals and as a community within the community. All this as well as ensuring that all people who are directly affected by changes on a government level stay up to date before-during- and after whatever changes are made to the best of our abilities.

Community Events and Workshops:

Organize and participate in community events, workshops, and public forums to directly engage with the local community and share the mission and activities of Third Eye Street Media.

Collaborate with community centers, libraries, and educational institutions to host workshops and informational sessions on media literacy and the power of storytelling. Offer specifically tailored free online webinars, workshops and actual online courses available for a number of skills to help people tell their stories.

3ESM organizes educational resources, workshops, and training programs to empower individuals living in poverty with media literacy skills, life skills, distress tolerance, confidence and community boosting activities and opportunities for self-expression.

Empathy training and professional Workshops and services:

3ESM offers to help bridge the gap. We help local organizations and businesses by offering empathy training workshops, public speakers, seminars,, focus group sourcing, homelessness simulation workshops and other socially sensitive training programs and compassion building activities to provide professional partners to be more understanding and compassionate when working with individuals of vulnerable communities. other services and resource kits such as toolkits available as needed based on specific circumstance . These are for the purpose of educating other “mainstream” individuals especially those in other organizations that work around sensitive populations, landlords, businesses, social service workers, peer support, schools, and anyone wanting their environments to be even more equitable and inclusive.

“reverse advocacy” services for professional entities needing to work closely with the street population in Ottawa. Reverse advocacy is when we will source someone from the streets who is a match candidate to advocate on your organizations behalf to a broader group of people on the street. Thus ensuring a more welcoming feeling into the street community to ensure accuracy of information, and active willing participants for focus groups, surveys, etc.

Partnerships with Non-Profit Organizations and local businesses :

Form strategic partnerships with other non-profit organizations that work with related topics and goals and values to amplify the reach of Third Eye Street Media's message and impact.

Collaborate on joint initiatives, co-host events, and cross-promote each other's content to reach a wider audience and foster a sense of community support as well as form meaningful and impactful allies in fighting homelessness and discrimination in Ottawa.

There are many ways to support 3rd Eye Street Media beyond just donating money. If you have time and skills to offer, we welcome volunteers to help with writing, editing, photography, videography, graphic design, social media management, or grant writing. If you have gently used equipment like laptops, cameras, microphones, or editing software, or even office furniture like desks and chairs, those contributions can make a big difference. You can also sponsor specific projects, such as funding a media story, documentary, or podcast episode, or directly contribute to our content creation fund.

If you have access to space, offering co-working areas, studios, or meeting rooms would be a huge help. Even providing transportation assistance like bus passes or meal donations for our team during production days goes a long way. You can also spread the word about our work by sharing our content on social media or connecting us to key contacts in media, activism, or funding circles.

For those interested in smaller, ongoing contributions, recurring micro-donations are a fantastic way to sustain our efforts. Helping to spread crowdfunding campaigns or simply advocating for equitable representation in media also has a big impact. No matter how you choose to help, your support brings us closer to amplifying marginalized voices and creating meaningful change.

The estimated startup costs for 3rd Eye Street Media in Ontario (2024) range from $19,000 to $31,000. This includes incorporation and legal fees ($1,000–$2,000), website development and hosting ($1,000–$3,000), office space and utilities ($3,000–$6,000 annually), technology and equipment ($5,000–$10,000), marketing and outreach ($2,000–$5,000), a content creation fund ($5,000–$15,000 annually), and miscellaneous expenses like insurance and transportation ($2,000–$5,000). These costs reflect the essentials needed to launch and sustain a small but impactful media platform.