Rob Heath, one of the performers, presented a Fringe musical about homelessness recently. He says “Homeless isn’t on a bench without a bed to sleep. It’s on the way from where we came from to where we want to be.” His experiences living in downtown Edmonton have taught him community life is not good for others as long as some are struggling to have a home, and he feels musicians have an obligation to help communicate this to others.

“Homefest has been presented annually by Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH) since 2003. Hundreds of people each year have enjoyed the music, but even more important, have gone home with new understanding and concern about how important it is for all Edmontonians to have a place to call home,” explains ECOHH president Keith Harding.

Music will be offered on three stages at the Transalta Arts Barns, from Noon to 5 PM, on Sunday, November 7. In addition to the rich feast of music, the event will again feature the popular Family Fun Land where this year’s craft project will be the creation of New Fun Land sticks, a perfect way for children to make lots of noise around the home. The

Soundbites feature has been added in recent years and provides an area of the festival where people can listen to presentations and learn more about housing issues. One hour of the Soundbites room will feature poets and the overall theme of the room this year will be issues of youth and homelessness. Visual art and photography displays will also relate to poverty and homelessness.