Housing Justice Begins with Human Dignity
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Remarks by Fr. Prakash A. Lohale, OP
On June 24, people of faith, community advocates, and residents gathered in downtown Toronto for the Interfaith Walk and Rally for Housing Justice.
During the rally, Fr. Prakash A. Lohale, OP, Social Justice Animator at the Mary Ward Centre, shared a reflection on homelessness, human dignity, and our collective responsibility to build communities where everyone has a safe place to call home.
We are pleased to share his remarks in full, along with a video recording of his address.
Speech for the Interfaith Walk and Rally for Housing Justice
June 24, 2026 – Nathan Phillips Square, Peace Garden, Toronto
Good afternoon, friends. I am grateful to stand with you today as part of this diverse community of faith leaders, advocates, outreach workers, students, and concerned citizens who believe that every person deserves a safe place to call home.
We have walked together today through places that remind us of loss, dignity, justice, and hope. We have listened to Indigenous wisdom, shared interfaith reflections, and remembered those whose lives have been lost on our streets. Now we gather at the Peace Garden with a simple but urgent message: no one should be left without shelter in a city as wealthy and compassionate as Toronto.
As a Catholic, I am guided by the conviction that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Human dignity is not earned by success, income, or social status. It is inherent. Therefore, access to safe housing is not merely a policy issue—it is a moral issue. It is about recognizing the sacred worth of every person. Catholic social teaching consistently affirms that housing is a basic human right and an essential condition for human flourishing.
Pope Francis challenged the world to see housing not as a privilege for some, but as a right for all. When he spoke at the World Meeting of Popular Movements, 2015 he said emphatically the need for “land, lodging, and labor- these are sacred rights. It is important, it is well worth fighting for them”. That vision calls us beyond charity alone toward justice—toward building a society where everyone has a place to belong.
Today we are not here to point fingers. We are here to raise our voices together. We are here to say that people sleeping in parks, ravines, doorways, and encampments are not statistics. They are our neighbours. They are members of our human family.
The measure of a city is not its skyline, its sporting events, or the attention it receives from the world. The measure of a city is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.
As Toronto welcome visitors from around the globe for the FIFA World Cup, we must also ensure that we welcome, protect, and house those who already call this city home.
To Mayor Chow, City Council, and all levels of government, we respectfully say: the time for bold action is now. Create safe places to sleep. Expand shelter and supportive housing. Protect the dignity and lives of those who have nowhere to go.
Friends, our different faith traditions teach us that compassion must become action, and prayer must become justice. Let us leave this rally committed not only to speaking about homelessness but to ending it.
May we continue to walk together, work together, and dream together until every person in Toronto has a safe place to rest, a place to belong, and a place to call home.
Thank you, and may God bless all who are working for housing justice and human dignity.
Let us all say together: We need a strong city, we need a safe city. Where no one is left outside, its justice makes a strong city.
by Fr. Prakash A. Lohale, OP
