Respectful Space Agreement

 

The National Right to Housing Network (NRHN) wants its online meetings and events to welcome all people in a safe space. It is important to us that the voices of those that are usually ignored are actively included and listened to. 

This usually includes: 

• People with lived experience of homelessness,  
• Indigenous peoples, 
• People of colour, 
• Marginalized groups and individuals,
• Those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities,
• People with disabilities, impairments, and limitations.

We also understand that people can be in more than one of these categories and that will affect their experiences in a different way than some others.  

In particular, the NRHN acknowledges that historically, Indigenous Peoples have and continue to experience dispossession, dislocation, and displacement from their lands, languages, and cultures. 

Because of this, we use these tools to inform our work: 

• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, 
• The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls to Justice, 
• Principles of Indigenous self-determination.

To achieve our goal of being a safe space, The NRHN has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination, violence, bullying, or abusive behaviour. We are committed to ensuring that NHRN events remain safe and respectful spaces for all participants. All of us are responsible for making sure our events continue to be safe spaces, and we call this “our shared responsibility”.

Our Shared Responsibility

Registering for an NRHN event means you will treat your fellow participants respectfully and help ensure NRHN events are a safe space for everyone. It also means that any form of discrimination, violence, bullying or abusive behaviour may result in your removal from the event.  

Part of building a shared space also involves being mindful of speaking times. As a courtesy to other participants, please keep your speaking time brief to let others share their thoughts.  

If any discrimination is witnessed or experienced during an NRHN event or if you feel unsafe, please notify an event organizer or any member of our staff. If you have suggestions on how we can improve the NRHN event experience for all or make our events more inclusive spaces, please message us on our contact page to let us know.