They say home is where the heart is. Or is it the hearth? Or both? What constitutes homelessness? Are people homeless because they brought it upon themselves, as some would argue, or because they have no choice, as mounting evidence would seem to indicate? Is having no home the same as having no shelter? Is a love of liberty and sleeping under the stars the same as fear of being incarcerated in an institution? Is ow(n)ing a mortgage the same as owning a home? Is one entitled to privacy in a public space? Are public spaces really for the public? And most importantly, what are the causes of homelessness? What are the responsibilities of society towards the homeless? These are the questions that Montreal Serai writers and artists have explored for our readers. Their answers have taken the shape of articles, commentaries, reviews, short stories, poetry and multimedia art. The locales are as varied as large cities like Kolkata, Chicago, Montreal and London or small nameless generic towns. The causes are as dissimilar as the floundering of high finance is from the sinking of the soul. The protagonists are individuals, peoples, nations, statistics. Whatever it is, sit back and read on. No, don’t sit back. Sit up and pay close attention – because homelessness could soon strike a person near you.
