Finding a home, a new life

City's Streets to Home wins over critics, gains credibility among homeless by helping more than 1,750 people get a roof over their heads since early 2005
May 07, 2008 04:30 AM
Daniel Girard
Urban Affairs Reporter

When outreach workers began asking homeless people if they could put a roof over their head, the answer was typically: "Yeah, right."

Three years later, the staff at the Streets to Homes program (S2H) are getting a much better reception on Toronto streets – and at city hall. The $8.7 million program is poised for a huge funding boost – $2.5 million more this year, $4.9 million next – opening the door to expanded services to help find jobs and more permanent housing to those who live in shelters or other housing but spend their days panhandling, especially downtown.

The executive committee's call is a ringing endorsement for the program launched by city council in 2005 with the aim of ending street homelessness. While a look down any downtown block confirms that goal has yet to be attained, the fact that it has helped more than 1,750 people find homes – nearly 90 per cent of them still housed – has won over critics.

"Nine out of 10 homeless people want permanent housing," said program manager Iain De Jong, referring to a survey conducted a couple of years ago. "They aren't `hard to house' or `service resistant.' It's that we haven't found the service or the right housing for them."

The program, which works with 29 non-profit groups ranging from street outreach and missions to employment and mental health services, uses a housing-first approach.

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Big win in TO with panhandler plan

Toronto City Council's powerful Executive Committee has unanimously adopted a detailed panhandling strategy that bucks the terrible trend throughout North America to criminalize activities associated with homelessness, housing insecurity and poverty. The plan recognizes that there are socio-economic and health issues that drive people to beg for change on the city's streets and, therefore, the best response is not to arrest and ticket panhandlers, but to ensure that they have access to housing, supports and income.

It was particularly heartening to see representatives from Toronto's business, tourism and entertainment all stand in support of this plan - along with the Wellesley Institute. Even Toronto Police Services spoke against criminalizing panhandling and in favour of the approach that tackles the fundamental concerns. Just one year ago, many business groups and others were clamouring for a police-led crackdown on panhandling.

The TO plan, which still needs the approval of City Council later this month, calls for a "housing first" approach to dealing with panhandling. It recognizes that growing poverty and housing insecurity are driving most people to beg on the streets, and that a significant number also suffer from physical and mental health concerns, including substance use. But instead of condemning the poor for being poor, the Toronto plan commits about $5 million to help panhandlers find affordable homes, an adequate income and the supports that they need.

The Wellesley Institute, in our submission to the committee, noted that the Statistics Canada data released last Thursday confirms the dire trend in growing income inequality in Toronto. We also pointed out that many cities - including New York City - have tried to criminalize activities associated with homelessness (including panhandling), only to find that this costs more and doesn't actually reduce the number of homeless people. And we called on the city to re-double its efforts to ensure that there is adequate housing and services for those who need it.

We've noted in our municipal budget submission that Toronto needs to ramp up its spending on housing and services, needs to re-double its efforts to convince senior levels of government to renew critical investments in housing and other social infrastructure and, until a comprehensive housing and anti-poverty strategy is adopted and funded by senior levels of government, needs to ensure that the city's emergency relief system - including homeless shelters - are properly funded.

One key factor that swayed many councillors was a simple message: The cost of doing nothing far outweights the cost of an effective and practical solution. That's the core message from the Wellesley Institute's Blueprint to End Homelessness, which was released in 2006, and city councillors and city officials quoted our Blueprint in support of sensible and humane plan to address the real needs of panhandlers.

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Michael Shapcott
Director of Community Engagement
The Wellesley Institute

Long line waiting for housing in Toronto

Social welfare, housing advocates meet to discuss how best to provide affordable homes in the city
Apr 27, 2008 04:30 AM
Francine Kopun
Toronto Star

If Toronto is serious about fighting homelessness, it must make saying "Not In My BackYard" a taboo, a housing forum has been told.

"The city has to take a strong enough stand against NIMBYs that they realize it's not okay to speak that way," Angie Hains, executive director of Ecuhome Corporation, said yesterday during a meeting to discuss how to get people off the streets and into their own homes.

And for any assistance program to work, those people who move into new housing will need to get ongoing help from social agencies and the community as they adjust to their new lives.

"Supports are the foundation of houses," said Cynthia Kiy, manager of support services for Covenant House. "Without them, the houses are as flimsy as tents in the park. That's how I feel."

Hains was one of about 200 housing and social welfare advocates to attend the meeting to discuss Toronto's 10-year, $469-million-a year Housing Opportunities Toronto (HOT) – An Affordable Housing Framework 2008-2018.

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Class War

We allowed rich to win class war
Jun 01, 2007 04:30 AM
Linda McQuaig
The Toronto Star

Probably the most overlooked story of the past two decades is the fact that there was a class war and the rich won.

By getting governments to cut taxes and slash social benefits, our financial elite has greatly enriched itself and worsened the fate of the poor. Inequality has reached a level not seen in this country for about a century, as Osgoode Hall tax professor Neil Brooks has noted.

The swollen ranks of homeless people – a throwback to the early days of capitalism before protest movements won social benefits – are a sharp reminder that this class war has many victims, including the weakest and most vulnerable.

It's hard to square the ugly reality of people living on our streets with any sort of good feeling about where our society is headed. Hence, the need to remove this ugliness from view.

This appears to be the underlying motivation behind Toronto's "Streets to Homes" program, which is modelled on the Bush administration's program to end homelessness in U.S. cities.

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