DAWN Canada is an organization that began in 1985. Basically, we didn't have core funding for most of our existence. We had a national office that was in the main room of a woman's apartment. Her bed was above the office—she had a tiny little loft. Her walls were stacked almost to the ceiling with paper.
How do you run a national office without any core funding? Well, we're doing it right now. The office is in my home, in the place I rent; it takes up one room. Would core funding make a difference? Absolutely. We can't respond.
This is the first time we've ever come to speak here. We can't respond to requests for information; we can't respond to issues; we don't have staff to be able to analyze policies. I have to write funding applications on my own, and it's a good thing that I have a little practice at it, because we'd be in a lot of trouble.
So yes, core funding would make a very big difference.