Sonder Bridge is an Edmonton-based nonprofit that addresses the homeless population. While providing water, healthy food, and warm gear, we connect homeless individuals to resource centers and shelters through conversation and an emphasis on human connection.

In my time as a student at MacEwan, one of my favourite professors challenged us to center a project around a contemporary economic issue. My partner and I chose homelessness due to its growing prevalence in our city, especially post-COVID. Speaking with a couple of organizations revealed how to structure an effective approach and what insubstantial clichés to avoid. However, much of the real insight we gathered was the result of sitting down with an individual with lived experience. Her story epitomized the homeless experience: kicked out by her parents at a young age, a series of abusive relationships, and getting mixed up in hard drugs. However, it was what she spoke on after recording audio for our presentation that stuck with me. She revealed a vivid, recurring dream she had with fascinating religious motifs and beautifully unique details; within minutes of meeting her, I had caught a glimpse into the character of a stranger with such a telling depth.
By happenstance, I had recently learned of the word sonder, which refers to the profound realization that every person is living their own unique version of life with an experience of reality just as vivid as one's own (an antithesis to solipsism, if you prefer). Her spoken experience, coupled with this impactful word, became a pivotal moment and the subconscious inception of the Sonder Bridge project.

In the years since then, I've made a point of talking to homeless individuals to get a sense of the hardships they face daily. Apart from the basic resource scarcity, it's a horribly isolating experience. Individuals often feel unwelcome in places of commerce, which can lead to a general sense of alienation. Beyond the objective aid offered by Sonder Bridge, rekindling human connection is the most powerful force for good, and is quickly accomplished when we remember to talk to and treat each other like humans.
I sincerely hope to convey the importance of human connection to the reader (albeit ironically through a computer), and ask those who have read this far to challenge themselves to acknowledge the existence of homeless individuals next time you pass them.

Homelessness is easy to see, but easier to ignore. Let's change that.

Comments, questions, and critical feedback are always welcome to aid in the project formulation!
Please direct them to SonderBridge@gmail.com.