Homeless Tent Cities in Canada
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
Hey, it's recycling! It's all crunchy and fruit n' nutty! Peace.
That’s like somebody recycling the aluminum rims off of your SUV when it’s parked, without your knowledge.
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless in 2024: Report
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Liam Casey
Published Jan 09, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless last year, a new report from the province’s municipalities shows, in what is the clearest picture of the issue to date.
And nearly half of those people have lived either in shelters or on the streets for more than six months, or experienced recurrent homelessness over the past three years, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found in its report examining the human and financial cost of the province’s homelessness crisis.
The association, which represents 444 municipalities across Ontario, said a fundamentally different approach is needed to tackle the crisis, one that prioritizes long-term housing solutions rather than temporary measures or policing solutions.
That would require an $11-billion investment over 10 years to create more than 75,000 affordable and supportive housing units. The municipalities also said $2 billion over eight years is needed to ensure all people living in encampments are properly housed.
“Those numbers are shocking,” said Robin Jones, president of the association and the mayor of Westport, Ont., north of Kingston.
The association pulled data from the province’s 47 service managers who deal with social housing and homelessness.
There are now 25% more people living in shelters or on the streets compared to two years ago, the report found.
“Too many people are stuck in a cycle because our homeless response system is broken and poorly funded,” Jones said.
AMO policy director Lindsay Jones said they knew the problem was widespread, but still found the total number of homeless people to be “staggering.”
“To put the numbers in context, that’s about the same size as the city of Peterborough,” she said in an interview.
“Imagine everyone in Peterborough being homeless or everybody in Sault Ste. Marie being homeless; that’s the scale of what we’re talking about.”
The provincial and federal governments need to step up, said Karen Redman, who serves as chair of both Waterloo Region and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario.
“We’re encouraged that they’ve made a down payment on this issue recognizing that it is not nearly the amount of money that we need to solve chronic homelessness,” Redman said.
The association hired an outside firm, HelpSeeker, to help gather and analyze the data. They ran several models to game out what would happen under good, neutral and poor economic scenarios over the next 10 years.
If there is an economic downturn, the modelling suggests there would be nearly 300,000 homeless people within 10 years. Should there be an upturn, they project there would be nearly 130,000.
The municipalities say they are spending a much greater share than higher levels of government in an effort to address homelessness. They collectively spent $2.1 billion in 2024 on homelessness and housing programs, far more than the several hundred million dollars that the province and Ottawa each contribute, the report notes.
The province recently announced a further $50 million for affordable housing and an additional $20 million for shelter funding.
While the money is welcome it’s nowhere near enough to solve the crisis, Robin Jones said.
The province announced a fundamental shift last summer in how it approaches the opioid crisis, which affects the homeless population disproportionately.
They will soon require 10 supervised consumption sites to stop operating by the end of March as they are too close to schools and daycares.
Ontario will move instead to an abstinence-based treatment model with the launch of new “homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs” — nine of which were previously supervised consumption sites — by April 1. It also aims to create 375 highly supportive housing units at a cost of $378 million.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra’s office said Ontario has made the largest investment in affordable housing in the province’s history.
“Mayors have asked us for help in managing this complex issue and that is why, over the next three years, we’re investing a record $3 billion in affordable housing, anti-homelessness and emergency shelter supports,” said Emma Testani, Calandra’s spokeswoman.
The association had previously found there were about 1,400 encampments across the province in 2023.
There are more than 268,000 households on waiting lists for affordable homes with an average wait time of five years, the report said.
For some, the wait can be up to 20 years.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Liam Casey
Published Jan 09, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless last year, a new report from the province’s municipalities shows, in what is the clearest picture of the issue to date.
And nearly half of those people have lived either in shelters or on the streets for more than six months, or experienced recurrent homelessness over the past three years, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found in its report examining the human and financial cost of the province’s homelessness crisis.
The association, which represents 444 municipalities across Ontario, said a fundamentally different approach is needed to tackle the crisis, one that prioritizes long-term housing solutions rather than temporary measures or policing solutions.
That would require an $11-billion investment over 10 years to create more than 75,000 affordable and supportive housing units. The municipalities also said $2 billion over eight years is needed to ensure all people living in encampments are properly housed.
“Those numbers are shocking,” said Robin Jones, president of the association and the mayor of Westport, Ont., north of Kingston.
The association pulled data from the province’s 47 service managers who deal with social housing and homelessness.
There are now 25% more people living in shelters or on the streets compared to two years ago, the report found.
“Too many people are stuck in a cycle because our homeless response system is broken and poorly funded,” Jones said.
AMO policy director Lindsay Jones said they knew the problem was widespread, but still found the total number of homeless people to be “staggering.”
“To put the numbers in context, that’s about the same size as the city of Peterborough,” she said in an interview.
“Imagine everyone in Peterborough being homeless or everybody in Sault Ste. Marie being homeless; that’s the scale of what we’re talking about.”
The provincial and federal governments need to step up, said Karen Redman, who serves as chair of both Waterloo Region and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario.
“We’re encouraged that they’ve made a down payment on this issue recognizing that it is not nearly the amount of money that we need to solve chronic homelessness,” Redman said.
The association hired an outside firm, HelpSeeker, to help gather and analyze the data. They ran several models to game out what would happen under good, neutral and poor economic scenarios over the next 10 years.
If there is an economic downturn, the modelling suggests there would be nearly 300,000 homeless people within 10 years. Should there be an upturn, they project there would be nearly 130,000.
The municipalities say they are spending a much greater share than higher levels of government in an effort to address homelessness. They collectively spent $2.1 billion in 2024 on homelessness and housing programs, far more than the several hundred million dollars that the province and Ottawa each contribute, the report notes.
The province recently announced a further $50 million for affordable housing and an additional $20 million for shelter funding.
While the money is welcome it’s nowhere near enough to solve the crisis, Robin Jones said.
The province announced a fundamental shift last summer in how it approaches the opioid crisis, which affects the homeless population disproportionately.
They will soon require 10 supervised consumption sites to stop operating by the end of March as they are too close to schools and daycares.
Ontario will move instead to an abstinence-based treatment model with the launch of new “homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs” — nine of which were previously supervised consumption sites — by April 1. It also aims to create 375 highly supportive housing units at a cost of $378 million.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra’s office said Ontario has made the largest investment in affordable housing in the province’s history.
“Mayors have asked us for help in managing this complex issue and that is why, over the next three years, we’re investing a record $3 billion in affordable housing, anti-homelessness and emergency shelter supports,” said Emma Testani, Calandra’s spokeswoman.
The association had previously found there were about 1,400 encampments across the province in 2023.
There are more than 268,000 households on waiting lists for affordable homes with an average wait time of five years, the report said.
For some, the wait can be up to 20 years.
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless in 2024: Report
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario pulled data from the province's 47 service managers who deal with social housing, homelessness.
With 5 million TFWs leaving rents will plummet and occupancy rate will rise.More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless in 2024: Report
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Liam Casey
Published Jan 09, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless last year, a new report from the province’s municipalities shows, in what is the clearest picture of the issue to date.
And nearly half of those people have lived either in shelters or on the streets for more than six months, or experienced recurrent homelessness over the past three years, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario found in its report examining the human and financial cost of the province’s homelessness crisis.
The association, which represents 444 municipalities across Ontario, said a fundamentally different approach is needed to tackle the crisis, one that prioritizes long-term housing solutions rather than temporary measures or policing solutions.
That would require an $11-billion investment over 10 years to create more than 75,000 affordable and supportive housing units. The municipalities also said $2 billion over eight years is needed to ensure all people living in encampments are properly housed.
“Those numbers are shocking,” said Robin Jones, president of the association and the mayor of Westport, Ont., north of Kingston.
The association pulled data from the province’s 47 service managers who deal with social housing and homelessness.
There are now 25% more people living in shelters or on the streets compared to two years ago, the report found.
“Too many people are stuck in a cycle because our homeless response system is broken and poorly funded,” Jones said.
AMO policy director Lindsay Jones said they knew the problem was widespread, but still found the total number of homeless people to be “staggering.”
“To put the numbers in context, that’s about the same size as the city of Peterborough,” she said in an interview.
“Imagine everyone in Peterborough being homeless or everybody in Sault Ste. Marie being homeless; that’s the scale of what we’re talking about.”
The provincial and federal governments need to step up, said Karen Redman, who serves as chair of both Waterloo Region and the Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario.
“We’re encouraged that they’ve made a down payment on this issue recognizing that it is not nearly the amount of money that we need to solve chronic homelessness,” Redman said.
The association hired an outside firm, HelpSeeker, to help gather and analyze the data. They ran several models to game out what would happen under good, neutral and poor economic scenarios over the next 10 years.
If there is an economic downturn, the modelling suggests there would be nearly 300,000 homeless people within 10 years. Should there be an upturn, they project there would be nearly 130,000.
The municipalities say they are spending a much greater share than higher levels of government in an effort to address homelessness. They collectively spent $2.1 billion in 2024 on homelessness and housing programs, far more than the several hundred million dollars that the province and Ottawa each contribute, the report notes.
The province recently announced a further $50 million for affordable housing and an additional $20 million for shelter funding.
While the money is welcome it’s nowhere near enough to solve the crisis, Robin Jones said.
The province announced a fundamental shift last summer in how it approaches the opioid crisis, which affects the homeless population disproportionately.
They will soon require 10 supervised consumption sites to stop operating by the end of March as they are too close to schools and daycares.
Ontario will move instead to an abstinence-based treatment model with the launch of new “homelessness and addiction recovery treatment hubs” — nine of which were previously supervised consumption sites — by April 1. It also aims to create 375 highly supportive housing units at a cost of $378 million.
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra’s office said Ontario has made the largest investment in affordable housing in the province’s history.
“Mayors have asked us for help in managing this complex issue and that is why, over the next three years, we’re investing a record $3 billion in affordable housing, anti-homelessness and emergency shelter supports,” said Emma Testani, Calandra’s spokeswoman.
The association had previously found there were about 1,400 encampments across the province in 2023.
There are more than 268,000 households on waiting lists for affordable homes with an average wait time of five years, the report said.
For some, the wait can be up to 20 years.
More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless in 2024: Report
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario pulled data from the province's 47 service managers who deal with social housing, homelessness.
Manitoba Tory candidate won’t apologize for joking that polar bears could deal with homeless
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Steve Lambert
Published Feb 07, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
WINNIPEG — A candidate for leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives says he won’t apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Wally Daudrich made the comment earlier this week in the Manitoba capital while speaking at one of the meet-and-greet events he has held recently.
Daudrich, who runs an ecotourism and polar bear tour business in Churchill, Man., said there’s no homelessness issue in the northern town for obvious reasons.
He told the event that his plan is to bring 10 polar bears to Winnipeg and release them in front of the legislature.
A party member who was at the event, Thomas Rempel-Ong, says there’s no reason to joke about vulnerable people becoming bear food.
The Opposition Tories are to choose between Daudrich and legislature member Obby Khan in the leadership race, set to be decided April 26.
Daudrich’s comment, first reported by CBC, came at the start of his speech Wednesday evening.
“I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don’t have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?” Daudrich is heard saying on a video of the meeting posted on social media.
“When there’s serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the (legislature) … and let them have at ’er.”
In an interview Friday, Daudrich said he won’t apologize.
He said homelessness is primarily caused by drug addiction, and he’s against drug addiction.
“Obviously being out on the streets has serious repercussions and that is the point of the comment,” he said.
“It’s a joke. There’s no apology. I’ll probably say it again next week.”
Rempel-Ong, a Winnipeg resident who volunteers with an agency that serves the homeless, said he was taken aback when he heard the comment.
“In my world, you don’t joke about feeding homeless people to the polar bears.”
The party’s leadership election committee had no comment on the matter Friday.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, a non-profit housing advocacy group, said Daudrich’s comment hurts.
“The recent remarks trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent are hurtful and deeply damaging,” the group said in a press release.
“Such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes, diminish the struggles of those experiencing homelessness, and ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the comments “disgraceful and unacceptable”.
Khan called his opponent’s words an attack on the homeless community.
“His sick joke does not represent my views as a sitting P.C. (legislature member) or of other Manitobans concerned about addressing this very serious issue.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Steve Lambert
Published Feb 07, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
WINNIPEG — A candidate for leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives says he won’t apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Wally Daudrich made the comment earlier this week in the Manitoba capital while speaking at one of the meet-and-greet events he has held recently.
Daudrich, who runs an ecotourism and polar bear tour business in Churchill, Man., said there’s no homelessness issue in the northern town for obvious reasons.
He told the event that his plan is to bring 10 polar bears to Winnipeg and release them in front of the legislature.
A party member who was at the event, Thomas Rempel-Ong, says there’s no reason to joke about vulnerable people becoming bear food.
The Opposition Tories are to choose between Daudrich and legislature member Obby Khan in the leadership race, set to be decided April 26.
Daudrich’s comment, first reported by CBC, came at the start of his speech Wednesday evening.
“I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don’t have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?” Daudrich is heard saying on a video of the meeting posted on social media.
“When there’s serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the (legislature) … and let them have at ’er.”
In an interview Friday, Daudrich said he won’t apologize.
He said homelessness is primarily caused by drug addiction, and he’s against drug addiction.
“Obviously being out on the streets has serious repercussions and that is the point of the comment,” he said.
“It’s a joke. There’s no apology. I’ll probably say it again next week.”
Rempel-Ong, a Winnipeg resident who volunteers with an agency that serves the homeless, said he was taken aback when he heard the comment.
“In my world, you don’t joke about feeding homeless people to the polar bears.”
The party’s leadership election committee had no comment on the matter Friday.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, a non-profit housing advocacy group, said Daudrich’s comment hurts.
“The recent remarks trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent are hurtful and deeply damaging,” the group said in a press release.
“Such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes, diminish the struggles of those experiencing homelessness, and ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the comments “disgraceful and unacceptable”.
Khan called his opponent’s words an attack on the homeless community.
“His sick joke does not represent my views as a sitting P.C. (legislature member) or of other Manitobans concerned about addressing this very serious issue.”
Manitoba Tory candidate won’t apologize for joking that polar bears could deal with homeless
Wally Daudrich says he won't apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Ah, screw 'em if they can't take a joke. Of COURSE homelessness is a serious problem but it seems no one gives a crap & is doing anything about it. His joke is that one way to do so is....How can anyone take his comment seriously? Geesh!!Manitoba Tory candidate won’t apologize for joking that polar bears could deal with homeless
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Steve Lambert
Published Feb 07, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
WINNIPEG — A candidate for leadership of the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives says he won’t apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
Wally Daudrich made the comment earlier this week in the Manitoba capital while speaking at one of the meet-and-greet events he has held recently.
Daudrich, who runs an ecotourism and polar bear tour business in Churchill, Man., said there’s no homelessness issue in the northern town for obvious reasons.
He told the event that his plan is to bring 10 polar bears to Winnipeg and release them in front of the legislature.
A party member who was at the event, Thomas Rempel-Ong, says there’s no reason to joke about vulnerable people becoming bear food.
The Opposition Tories are to choose between Daudrich and legislature member Obby Khan in the leadership race, set to be decided April 26.
Daudrich’s comment, first reported by CBC, came at the start of his speech Wednesday evening.
“I always say where I come from in Churchill, we don’t have any homeless people. Anybody take a guess why?” Daudrich is heard saying on a video of the meeting posted on social media.
“When there’s serious repercussions for a bad lifestyle, people smarten up very quickly. So my plan is to import 10 polar bears and let them go in front of the (legislature) … and let them have at ’er.”
In an interview Friday, Daudrich said he won’t apologize.
He said homelessness is primarily caused by drug addiction, and he’s against drug addiction.
“Obviously being out on the streets has serious repercussions and that is the point of the comment,” he said.
“It’s a joke. There’s no apology. I’ll probably say it again next week.”
Rempel-Ong, a Winnipeg resident who volunteers with an agency that serves the homeless, said he was taken aback when he heard the comment.
“In my world, you don’t joke about feeding homeless people to the polar bears.”
The party’s leadership election committee had no comment on the matter Friday.
End Homelessness Winnipeg, a non-profit housing advocacy group, said Daudrich’s comment hurts.
“The recent remarks trivializing homelessness and suggesting life-threatening consequences as a deterrent are hurtful and deeply damaging,” the group said in a press release.
“Such statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes, diminish the struggles of those experiencing homelessness, and ignore the complex, systemic issues that lead people into housing insecurity.”
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called the comments “disgraceful and unacceptable”.
Khan called his opponent’s words an attack on the homeless community.
“His sick joke does not represent my views as a sitting P.C. (legislature member) or of other Manitobans concerned about addressing this very serious issue.”
Manitoba Tory candidate won’t apologize for joking that polar bears could deal with homeless
Wally Daudrich says he won't apologize for making a joke about tackling homelessness by letting polar bears roam free in Winnipeg.
How do you house people who don't follow rules getting kicked out of housing or refused entry into shelters?
This.
If you can't live in some sort of harmony at the minimum and refuse to use shelters because you can't use drugs, then at some point that's on you.
It doesn't help that Trudeau brought in millions of immigrants that took up housing.
Drug addiction and homelessness, do tend to go together. However, the government has turned it into an industry for all the people that have taken social work in university so they can pay back their student loans, since their degrees are useless anywhere else. And, like so many industries that are dependent on the taxpayer, social workers have no overwhelming desire to see the problem go away and lose their cushy pay. They learned from Big Pharma that a cured patient is no longer a customer.
Toronto's homelessness crisis 'completely out of control:' Advocates
Nearly one unhoused person a day dies in the city, according to Toronto Public Health
Author of the article:Spiro Papuckoski
Published Feb 27, 2025 • Last updated 20 hours ago • 4 minute read
The homelessness crisis happening in Toronto is best described by one social worker as “completely out of control.”
“We have … closer to 13,000 people who we know are currently homeless within our shelter system,” said Diana Chan McNally, a community and crisis worker in the downtown east side.
“And then we have so many people out on the street sheltering on the TTC, in libraries, anywhere that they can find any kind of indoor space and, of course, in our parks.”
Chan McNally, who since 2014 has worked with people experiencing homelessness, estimated the number of unhoused residents is likely more than 20,000 when including individuals who are difficult to count and invisible to city officials: Those who couch-surf, stay with friends, hang out in hospital emergency departments, sleep in doorways, under bridges and in ravines.
Some people choose to stay out of city shelters because it is not a safe option due to overcrowding and at times very few staff on hand, Chan McNally said. Theft, assault and sexual assault are also concerns.
The root causes of homelessness include job loss, family breakup, family violence, mental illness, poor health, substance use and physical, sexual or emotional abuse. In recent years, the affordability crisis and high rents have also contributed to growing numbers without a stable roof over their head.
Looking deeper into Toronto’s homeless crisis, the facts are grim.
According to Toronto Public Health, nearly one person a day who experiences homelessness dies in the city.
The health unit earlier this month reported a total of 631 deaths of unhoused people in the city in 2022 and 2023. In the first six months of 2024, 135 residents lost their lives.
“We also see people dying in the shelter system,” Chan McNally said. “Almost a quarter of the people who are homeless who have died in Toronto in the past year have died in the system itself.”
Women, who make up just a fifth of the city’s unhoused population, are more vulnerable and are losing their life at a very young age. In the two years prior to 2024, women died at a median age of 42 and 43 respectively. However, in the first six months of 2024, the median age was just 36.
The median age at death for unhoused men has held steady at about 50 years old during that same time frame.
The median age of homeless men and women who have died since 2022.
The median age of homeless men and women who have died since 2022. Photo by Toronto Public Health /City of Toronto
By comparison, the median age at death for Toronto’s general population was 85 years for women and 78 years for men in 2022.
“What we see is a particular danger when you are a woman out on the street,” Chan McNally said. “That comes through exploitation, violence and frankly sexual violence. Pretty much everyone I’ve met — doesn’t matter what age you are, who you are — you’re out on the street, you’ve been raped. And you’ve been raped multiple times.”
Chan McNally also says women living on the street are taken advantage of, exploited by human traffickers who give them drugs and force them into sex work.
“This is incredibly traumatizing for people,” she said. “What they need are services and supports specific to women, which we don’t actually have a lot (of) … So, we are not really addressing the specific harms for women in particular on the streets.”
Toronto Public Health reported slightly more than half — 55% — of homeless deaths can be attributed to the toxic drug supply on the streets. Among women, that number has seen a sharp increase from 55% of deaths in 2022 and 69% in 2023 to a staggering 81% in the first six months of 2024.
Nearly two years ago, city council declared homelessness an emergency and approved staff recommendations for warming centres that would increase access when the temperature dips below -5 C or when freezing rain, winter storm or snowfall warnings are forecast.
In addition, Toronto has more than 100 shelter sites that are funded by the city and operated by not-for-profit partners.
In December, the city announced six new shelter locations to be developed as part of a 10-year strategy to expand winter services for people experiencing homelessness. When opened, the shelters are expected to accommodate about 80 people at each location, which the city said will help it move away from more expensive shelter hotels.
While the city is constrained by what it can do due to budgetary issues, Chan McNally said additional resources should be poured in by provincial and federal officials to build more affordable homes and supportive spaces.
“The majority of people in Toronto and throughout the province understand that the solution to this is housing. But I don’t think we are building enough housing because the crisis continues to get worse. I think the city gets that, but we do need commitments from the province and from the federal government to realize this in a good way.”
torontosun.com
Nearly one unhoused person a day dies in the city, according to Toronto Public Health
Author of the article:Spiro Papuckoski
Published Feb 27, 2025 • Last updated 20 hours ago • 4 minute read
The homelessness crisis happening in Toronto is best described by one social worker as “completely out of control.”
“We have … closer to 13,000 people who we know are currently homeless within our shelter system,” said Diana Chan McNally, a community and crisis worker in the downtown east side.
“And then we have so many people out on the street sheltering on the TTC, in libraries, anywhere that they can find any kind of indoor space and, of course, in our parks.”
Chan McNally, who since 2014 has worked with people experiencing homelessness, estimated the number of unhoused residents is likely more than 20,000 when including individuals who are difficult to count and invisible to city officials: Those who couch-surf, stay with friends, hang out in hospital emergency departments, sleep in doorways, under bridges and in ravines.
Some people choose to stay out of city shelters because it is not a safe option due to overcrowding and at times very few staff on hand, Chan McNally said. Theft, assault and sexual assault are also concerns.
The root causes of homelessness include job loss, family breakup, family violence, mental illness, poor health, substance use and physical, sexual or emotional abuse. In recent years, the affordability crisis and high rents have also contributed to growing numbers without a stable roof over their head.
Looking deeper into Toronto’s homeless crisis, the facts are grim.
According to Toronto Public Health, nearly one person a day who experiences homelessness dies in the city.
The health unit earlier this month reported a total of 631 deaths of unhoused people in the city in 2022 and 2023. In the first six months of 2024, 135 residents lost their lives.
“We also see people dying in the shelter system,” Chan McNally said. “Almost a quarter of the people who are homeless who have died in Toronto in the past year have died in the system itself.”
Women, who make up just a fifth of the city’s unhoused population, are more vulnerable and are losing their life at a very young age. In the two years prior to 2024, women died at a median age of 42 and 43 respectively. However, in the first six months of 2024, the median age was just 36.
The median age at death for unhoused men has held steady at about 50 years old during that same time frame.
The median age of homeless men and women who have died since 2022.
The median age of homeless men and women who have died since 2022. Photo by Toronto Public Health /City of Toronto
By comparison, the median age at death for Toronto’s general population was 85 years for women and 78 years for men in 2022.
“What we see is a particular danger when you are a woman out on the street,” Chan McNally said. “That comes through exploitation, violence and frankly sexual violence. Pretty much everyone I’ve met — doesn’t matter what age you are, who you are — you’re out on the street, you’ve been raped. And you’ve been raped multiple times.”
Chan McNally also says women living on the street are taken advantage of, exploited by human traffickers who give them drugs and force them into sex work.
“This is incredibly traumatizing for people,” she said. “What they need are services and supports specific to women, which we don’t actually have a lot (of) … So, we are not really addressing the specific harms for women in particular on the streets.”
Toronto Public Health reported slightly more than half — 55% — of homeless deaths can be attributed to the toxic drug supply on the streets. Among women, that number has seen a sharp increase from 55% of deaths in 2022 and 69% in 2023 to a staggering 81% in the first six months of 2024.
Nearly two years ago, city council declared homelessness an emergency and approved staff recommendations for warming centres that would increase access when the temperature dips below -5 C or when freezing rain, winter storm or snowfall warnings are forecast.
In addition, Toronto has more than 100 shelter sites that are funded by the city and operated by not-for-profit partners.
In December, the city announced six new shelter locations to be developed as part of a 10-year strategy to expand winter services for people experiencing homelessness. When opened, the shelters are expected to accommodate about 80 people at each location, which the city said will help it move away from more expensive shelter hotels.
While the city is constrained by what it can do due to budgetary issues, Chan McNally said additional resources should be poured in by provincial and federal officials to build more affordable homes and supportive spaces.
“The majority of people in Toronto and throughout the province understand that the solution to this is housing. But I don’t think we are building enough housing because the crisis continues to get worse. I think the city gets that, but we do need commitments from the province and from the federal government to realize this in a good way.”
Toronto's homelessness crisis 'completely out of control:' Advocates
The homelessness crisis happening in Toronto is best described by one social worker as 'completely out of control.'
Two things.
1 Massive immigration and slow bureaucracy in cities have led to an imbalance.
2 Much of the housing that we are building is upscale, and way out of reach of the people most in need. See above.
A usual, governments create a problem, then squander billions of our money to fix it. Along with the need for housing is all the infrastructure required to employ, feed, and move excess people around. This is adding a needless expense to those already living here.
Canada does not need a large or rapid increase in population. All we need is to keep slightly ahead of deaths and emigration. Preferably with working age people.
So what solution do you propose?
I would think anybody who calls himself a conservative would say "minimize regulation to zoning and building codes, and let the market take care of it."
I’d like to see new 1000 square foot bungalows, as opposed to 5000 square-foot McMansions being pumped out, especially when space is not an issue.
That might go a long way towards the desire for home ownership that’s not Condos and potentially within the means of most families, ect…