Sheila Baxter (born 1933) is a Canadian anti-poverty activist who has written several books about poverty and mental illness in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. On September 28, 2017, Baxter was awarded the governor general sovereign medal for volunteers, for co-foundeding Chez Doris, a shelter for women, that has grown significantly since opening in 1977. Due to her dedicated efforts, many marginalized and vulnerable women have found support and safety.

Life

Baxter became active in the anti-poverty movement in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in 1970. Baxter also co-founded

Chez Doris Chez Doris, located in Shaughnessy Village on the western side of the Ville-Marie, Montreal, Ville Marie borough of Montreal, is a charitable organization that offers a daily daytime shelter for women in need. The shelter provides meals, shelter, ...

, a drop-in centre for women living on the streets of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

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Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, as a counsellor and welfare advocate at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. Baxter is a poet, educator and author of five books on poverty and homelessness, and is currently active with the Vancouver City-Wide Housing Coalition. She read at the Vancouver Public Library.

Awards

* VanCity Book Prize * Sovereign Medal for Volunteers,

Works

* ''No Way to Live: Poor Women Speak Out'' (New Star Press, 1988) (Photos: Lori Gabrielson) * ''Under the Viaduct: Homeless in Beautiful B.C.'' (New Star Press, 1991) * ''A Child is Not a Toy: Voices of Children in Poverty'' (New Star Press, 1993) * ''Still Raising Hell: Poverty, Activism and Other True Stories'' (

Press Gang Publishers Press Gang Publishing was a feminist printing and publishing collective active in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, between the early 1970s and 2002.Pike, Lois. "A Survey of Feminist Publishers and Periodicals in Canada" in ''Women and Words/ ...

, 1997) * ''Death in a Dumpster: A Passion Play for the Homeless'' (Lazara Press, 2006)

References

1933 births Living people Canadian anti-poverty activists Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian women non-fiction writers {{Canada-nonfiction-writer-stub