An unhoused man says 'people aren't going to make it this winter.' Here's what experts say needs to be done now

An unhoused person paints a grim and concerning picture of what he's currently facing in Ontario in a now-viral post on Reddit titled “People aren't going to make it this winter (a homeless man's perspective).”  

User ExtracheesyBroccoli writes that he’s currently unhoused in the GTA as a result of medical issues and a divorce. He says he avoids living in encampments, and laments the overcrowding happening at shelters region-wide that routinely have to turn away users in need. While much of Ontario has been experiencing a mild winter, the poster says the recent wet spell has flooded him out. He warns that many people are going to suffer with colder weather on the horizon.

“When the temperature does drop I fear that most people do not have enough supplies to keep warm such as clothing and blankets,” he says. “I am fortunate I managed to scrape by and get myself an ice fishing shelter and salvaged myself some blankets. Even then I am terrified of the coming cold.”

The post, which has garnered more than 500 comments, has left many wondering what people can do to help. The poster’s call to action includes giving warm clothing directly to those who need it, or donating to shelters. But advocates and housing experts say every level of government needs to step in — and step up — for meaningful change to happen.

Government work on housing is a 'drop in the ocean'

Rui Martins is the community relations coordinator with Neighbourhood House, a Toronto non-profit that tackles homelessness and housing affordability.

He says Toronto has become unaffordable, even for those making a salary, which puts vulnerable populations, including approximately 3,000 recent refugees, at risk.

He says that since shelters in Toronto are completely full, more people are sleeping outside or spending days on public transit.

“There’s not been enough money coming from any level of government,” he tells Yahoo Canada. “It’s going to have to be a combined effort of all three levels to come together and fix the problem."

Martins, who’s been working in the sector for the past five years, says he’d give Toronto a grade of C+: There is some initiative being done, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

Take, for example, social medicine housing being built in the city’s Parkdale neighbourhood, a first for Canada. The project consists of four-storey modular buildings for unhoused people with serious medical conditions. The housing was built next to a medical health facility, so that tenants have access to health and social services support nearby.

“It’s a good start,” Martins says. “But there’s 51 people (in social medicine housing) and there’s about 9,000 to 10,000 unhoused individuals in Toronto. It’s a drop in the ocean.”

Zoning bylaws need updating

He suggests other ways to tackle the housing crisis could include expanding zoning in order to build more units on the same plot of land.

Fourplexes — properties with four units under one address — for example require special zoning approvals to be built in many municipalities in Ontario at the moment.

“It doesn’t all have to be building single plots with a driveway,” Martins says. “Fourplexes can house twice as many people in the same space."

Last fall, the mayors of Kitchener and Guelph both proposed that fourplexes be permitted to be built in their municipalities, which would require amendments to zoning bylaws.

The one thing that would 'fix [housing] affordability the next day'

Douglas Kwan is the director of advocacy and legal services with the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. He says for the past few decades, the federal government and the provinces have relied on the private housing market to provide the accommodation that’s desperately needed across the country.

Now, when looking at purpose-built rentals built between 2016 and 2021, Kwan says 87 per cent were for luxury units, which rent for $3,000 or more.  

“We’re then relying on old stock to support everyone else who needs rentals,” he says.

Kwan agrees that all levels of government have a role to play in terms of how we got here, and will need to do their part to help solve the crisis.

He says long term solutions include ensuring that every public resource that is given to create housing must be kept affordable.

“Not just on the front end, where you give a bunch of incentives to the developer and they build to their heart’s desire, and sell or rent to the highest bidder” Kwan says. “It has to be affordable permanently or for 100 years for the public good.”

On the provincial side, Kwan says there needs to be legislation that does away with rent control exemptions and loopholes, which would “fix affordability the next day.” He says they also need to put more money into shelters and short-term living facilities.

Finally, Kwan says municipalities need to stop evicting people from encampment sites and provide more services that help people, like access to warming centres and washrooms.

“You’re just moving the problems from your waterfront to the back of a parking lot,” he says. “It’s not addressing the situation.

Kwan and Martins say housing issues won't go away any time soon unless long-term and ongoing solutions are implemented.

“If the problem isn’t fixed, it’s only going to get worse,” Martins says. “If people don't have access to housing it’ll exacerbate other issues, like addiction and mental health and people’s lives will spiral.”