Homelessness – A Long Term Issue In A Quick Fix World

hand written sign
Does putting the right to housing behind bars end homelessness?

Recently, Doug Ford, the Premier of Ontario, invited Ontario’s mayors to request that he invoke the Notwithstanding Clause1.

The Premier’s invitation could be a response to a court decision, which found that tent encampments are allowed on public lands.

Thirteen mayors2 responded to the Premier’s invitation. And they obliged in great detail, proposing policies to impose mandatory treatment for people who use drugs and jail sentences for people who trespass on public property, in addition to clearing encampments.

Ontario isn’t the only place where there are encampments. A reporter in Winnipeg talked to housed residents about encampments in that city. The story also includes interviews with a person living in an encampment and with the provincial minister of housing. Some residents aren’t happy with the pace of change and want encampments to go away faster.

As a society we’re encouraged to think that problems can be solved quickly. And the idea is attractive. At winter approaches, it’s hard to watch people living outdoors. That concern could be motivating the proposal from the 13 mayors. The story from Winnipeg hints at a larger issue that has a longer history.

How big and how long? At least as far as Australia, according to the Citizen’s Commission into the Housing Crisis (the Commission). The Commission’s final report says that the current crisis didn’t happen overnight. It traces the effects of public policy decisions which began in the 1980’s and have been maintained and expanded in the decades since. During that time, homelessness in Australia has become more visible and the housing crisis has expanded to include more and more of the population. The Commission recommends resuming programs that have been abandoned for 40 years, including government funded social housing. The Commission also calls for programs that support people to thrive in their homes.

You can read about the mayors at CBC: Ontario mayors ask Ford to use notwithstanding clause to clear homeless encampments

The CBC is also the source for the story from Winnipeg: Are homeless encampments legal in public spaces?

The findings of the Citizen’s Commission into the Housing Crisis are posted at Everybody’s Home: Final Report

Footnotes

  1. The Notwithstanding Clause refers to a provision in Canada’s constitution, which allows Provincial governments to opt out of federal policies. The use of the Notwithstanding Clause is explained in more detail in the first article linked to this post.
  2. Since this story broke, the number of mayors has grown to 14.