Understanding Homelessness
Perspectives from 3 Mid-Sized Cities in Ontario
Background
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS Visible homelessness in mid-sized cities
WE TALKED TO:
(pop. 50,000 - 500,000) is a relatively new
People experiencing
homelessness,
problem. Misconceptions about homeless-
Service providers, ness have led to divided opinions about how
Business and Community
to address homelessness and the general
Organizations,
Fire Department, public’s feelings of unsafety. This research
Police officers and explores how different community members
Bylaw officers.
make sense of the issues underlying home-
lessness in their mid-sized cities.
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS WE
Total
number What We Did
TALKED TO: (n = 86) We interviewed 86 people across three cities in
People with lived 29 southern Ontario. We asked about what they thought
experience of of their community, interactions with other actors, daily
homelessness challenges they experience, and their views on the issue
of homelessness.
Service providers 10
Business and 24
Community
Organizations
Fire Department 3
Police officers 11 From NIMBY to Neighbour is supported in part by
Bylaw officers 9 funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council.
Here’s what we have learned so far...
People experiencing homelessness feel marginalized in communities
that otherwise pride themselves on taking care of one another.
Communities have invested in “disciplinary” Many community members perpetuate
processes, such as complaint-driven stigma even if they mean well: For
responses to encampments and private example, online groups that were
security companies. These processes create intended to foster safety have become
a cycle of displacement for people instead of spaces that breed hostility toward
long-term solutions: people experiencing homelessness.
“There are different security
companies around here now. You
“It's a little concerning with
can’t do anything. You’re stopped and
the amount of people that are
they’re like ‘move along,’ right? It’s freezing
actively hunting just looking for
cold and in the middle of the night sometimes.
these people to try to report them
No, I’m not bothering anybody. But [private
and get them out.”
security] tells me I have to leave because they
will call [police]” - Law Enforcement Officer
– Person Experiencing Homelessness
Communities need different first responders.
Many communities rely on law Some communities are finding
enforcement as first responders because success in public health supports to
there aren’t always appropriate resources address the opioid overdose crisis,
available in mid-sized cities for specific as opposed to law enforcement. This
situations: demonstrates that non-traditional
response options can fill an important
void in the current response system.
“They’re getting paid to help
the people, not put them in worse situations. But other
than that, they’re not social workers, they’re not psychologists,
they’re police officers.”
- Person Experiencing Homelessness
Here’s what we have learned so far...
We Need Responses that Build Community Resilience.
Contrary to popular belief, people experiencing homelessness are much more likely to
be residents who have lived in an area for a long time, rather than people relocating from
other cities.
Across the three cities, an average of 76% of people who are
homeless had lived in the city for 5 years or more.
Over 3 in 4 COMMUNITY RESILIENCE - harmony, a sense of belonging
and ability to get along - is built through the inclusion of all
are locals. community members, including people who are vulnerable,
marginalized, and underserved.
It is in the best interest of all community members to invest in structural solutions rather
than only individual responses:
“I think the biggest problem with everything that's going on right now is
everybody is so focused on being an individual and meeting their needs
and living their life and doing things on their terms… we've lost a sense of
compassion. We only look out for ourselves, and nobody else… Homeless
people are not disposable. They all have stories, they all have circumstances
that caused them to be there. And if you just stop looking at them like a
disease and cared enough to help, maybe we could [help].
– Business Owner
Misunderstandings about person-first approaches, (e.g., consumption and treatment
sites and Housing First) can lead to people opposing supports with long-term benefits.
However, communities finding the most success are those that have focused on building
strong connections between community members.
So What's Next?
This research highlights pressure points among community stakeholders about the issue of
homelessness in their communities. To learn what practical steps we can take to address this issue,
check out the NIMBY to Neighbour series on the Homeless Hub.
Hub Solutions is a social enterprise embedded within the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
(COH). Income generated from Hub Solutions fee-for-service work is reinvested into the COH to
support research, innovation, policy recommendations and knowledge mobilization.