People First Radio – June 18, 2026People First Radio – June 18, 2026
People First Radio
Alexandra Flynn discusses how bylaws and court rulings shape the treatment of homeless encampments in Canada, and argues for a human rights approach to housing. Later, Kevin Chow and Marvel Hariadi share research on distraction blockers, explaining how current focus apps often fail neurodivergent students and suggesting more inclusive designs.
0:00•17 Jun 2026
Bylaws, Homelessness and Focus Apps: Putting People Before Rules and Screens
Episode Overview
- Municipal bylaws have become a default tool for managing homelessness, even though municipalities lack the resources to resolve the housing crisis itself.
- Courts increasingly require cities to show that shelter spaces are accessible and appropriate before clearing encampments, recognising homelessness as a human rights issue.
- A human rights framework for homelessness emphasises basic services like toilets, water, storage and safety, alongside treating unhoused people as full members of the community.
- Many focus apps assume a rigid, one-size-fits-all model of concentration and can increase self-blame among neurodivergent users when those tools do not work for them.
- More inclusive focus tools would recognise practices like digital stimming, different focus rhythms and neurodivergent strengths, rather than treating those differences as deficits.
“Homeless people are not the other, they are us.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction, housing precarity, and a constant pinging phone? This edition of People First Radio pulls together two big themes: how cities treat people without homes, and how neurodivergent students wrestle with distraction apps. First up, law professor and housing researcher Alexandra (Alex) Flynn unpacks how Canadian municipalities have ended up policing homelessness through bylaws rather than fixing housing itself.
She explains that housing responsibility is murky in Canadian law, so “we’ve gotten ourselves into a situation where we’re short at least 4.5 million homes.” With shelters often unsafe or unsuitable, court cases like Victoria v. Adams and Waterloo have pushed cities to prove they have accessible alternatives before clearing encampments.
Flynn highlights a basic but powerful shift: adopting a human rights lens and simply “treat people like they’re human beings,” noting one judge’s reminder that “homeless people are not the other, they are us.” The second half moves from tents in parks to apps on phones. Researchers Kevin Chow and Marvel Hariadi talk about distraction blockers that promise better focus, especially for neurodivergent users with autism, ADHD, and anxiety.
Their interviews show that people use these tools for far more than pure productivity – think emotional regulation, digital stimming, and carefully rationed dopamine hits. Chow points out that many apps assume focus is “like this faucet that you can just turn on and off,” and that if they fail, people blame themselves instead of the design.
Hariadi pushes for tools that respect different brains and strengths, reminding neurodivergent listeners that “there’s nothing wrong with you… your brain is working in a magical way all on its own.” If you care about recovery, mental health, or just feel hounded by both housing crises and endless scroll, this conversation may leave you asking: what would our cities – and our phones – look like if they were built around everyone’s humanity?
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