Laundry drying on suburban streets, families living in unsafe apartments: York Region's housing crisis worsens

'Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better'

Yorkregion.com
July 28, 2023
Kim Zarzour

Will York Region’s 2023 go down as the summer of encampments?

The region is grappling with an increasing number of unhoused people living in local parks and ravines, and it’s reached a critical level, according to a staff report presented to council in June.

The report blames housing costs, a scarcity of deeply affordable housing options and the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor predicted a significant uptick for the second year in a row and “peak numbers” by midsummer.

It will be especially challenging, he said, given the recent precedent-setting Superior Court ruling, denying the Region of Waterloo’s request to evict people from encampments without adequate indoor shelter space.

“We’d be in tough shape if anybody decided to challenge our ability to address encampments, in particular in parks,” he said.

Compared to other similar regions, York lags far behind in its support for those experiencing homelessness, Katherine Chislett, commissioner of community and health services, said.

Waterloo has 576 shelter and transitional beds, London has 415, Peel has 514 and Hamilton has 408. York, in comparison, has 243.

“York Region is at the bottom, followed closely by Halton,” she said.

While some people experiencing homelessness are also experiencing mental health and addiction issues, it's largely because they simply can't afford a place to live, she said.

“People are looking for a place to sleep at night that they can lock their door and can get on with their lives and employment.”

Once people get into the unhoused system, it’s incredibly difficult to rebuild, she added.

Outreach teams work with those living in encampments to find alternatives -- emergency or transitional housing, friends, families or even hotel rooms on a temporary basis -- but options are limited, Debbie Thompson, York’s director of homelessness programs, said.

The region is not alone in its struggle, she said.

“Across Ontario, this is top of mind.”

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti suggested looking for empty buildings and other, more creative approaches besides simply waiting for the next shelter to be built or expanded.

Also, the region should lobby senior levels of government for more funding again, he said.

"They should see this issue as serious, as they would with victims of natural disasters. If there was a flood or forest fire, there would be immediate accommodation. They would not abandon victims of natural disasters, and they shouldn't be abandoning the victims of homelessness.”

Richmond Hill Regional Councillor Godwin Chan suggested that public education could help the community understand how to handle a “complex” issue that is, at times, appearing in their backyards and on their doorsteps.

“I’m getting almost weekly requests for assistance to deal with encampments. I received a photo from a resident yesterday. The person in the camp was openly putting clothing right on the road to air-dry.”

Communities should aim for a “peaceful coexistence” until a solution is found, he said.

“My brain is exploding from the numbers,” Georgina Regional Councillor Naomi Davison said. “Even families that are gainfully employed ... still can't afford anywhere to live.”

It's led to escalating rent prices and a variety of other “unpleasant outcomes,” including age or race discrimination, illegal requests for three months in advance security deposits, bidding wars and residents choosing unsafe places to rent.

“They may be illegal apartments, not safe for fire, contaminated, insects, limited security. These things are the reality for people that we don't even see come through York Region because they've found a place on their own that is unsuitable,” Davison said.

“My concern is that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, and those things are going to spill into all of our municipalities.”

Regional staff is working on a Homelessness Service System Plan to be presented to council in 2024.

A special council meeting is planned for Nov. 23 to provide a more fulsome understanding of homelessness and poverty in York Region and help inform the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan currently under development.