Homelessness - Week 2 Discussion
Read the articles: “Focus on Homelessness” from the Parkdale Community Legal Clinic, “The True Cost of Homelessness” by Gordon Laird and “Hidden Homelessness” from Raising the Roof. All postings must be made prior to the start of class in Week 4 to be considered for credit.
Questions:
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
5. What is the role of charity? May charity sometimes create an illusion of action? Consider the following. During the winter, I volunteer at a homeless shelter in Newmarket, called Inn From the Cold. Several municipal politicians are also volunteers. I believe what I am doing is worthwhile but I wonder whether this is a real solution. The shelter is only open on Thursdays to Mondays from December to the end of March. It does open on other days if the temperature goes below -15 degrees. I am hoping that this year it will be open 7 days a week but it will still not be open all year. In the end, it remains a shelter, not a home.
Joke:
Bay Street Lawyer: “Knock knock.”
Homeless Woman: “What’s that noise?”
Food For Thought
“What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?What do you feel when you look in the mirror?Are you proud?” ~ Alecia Moore, a.k.a. Pink from “Dear Mr. President”
“How can we pay for the homeless when it is costing us $720 million a day just to kill people in Iraq.”~ what Dick Cheney might have said
“Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them... he cried, ‘Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?’ God said, ‘I did do something. I made you.’” ~ Hippy Chick
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."~ Edmund Burke
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Questions:
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
5. What is the role of charity? May charity sometimes create an illusion of action? Consider the following. During the winter, I volunteer at a homeless shelter in Newmarket, called Inn From the Cold. Several municipal politicians are also volunteers. I believe what I am doing is worthwhile but I wonder whether this is a real solution. The shelter is only open on Thursdays to Mondays from December to the end of March. It does open on other days if the temperature goes below -15 degrees. I am hoping that this year it will be open 7 days a week but it will still not be open all year. In the end, it remains a shelter, not a home.
Joke:
Bay Street Lawyer: “Knock knock.”
Homeless Woman: “What’s that noise?”
Food For Thought
“What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?What do you feel when you look in the mirror?Are you proud?” ~ Alecia Moore, a.k.a. Pink from “Dear Mr. President”
“How can we pay for the homeless when it is costing us $720 million a day just to kill people in Iraq.”~ what Dick Cheney might have said
“Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them... he cried, ‘Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?’ God said, ‘I did do something. I made you.’” ~ Hippy Chick
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."~ Edmund Burke
“Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted by Richard Leighton at
2:42 p.m.
90 Comments:
Questions:
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
Yes Homelessness is a real problem and is a ever-present threat to our community.
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
The Ontario housing Tribunal has worked hand in hand with Ontario Landlords to dislocate tens of thousands of tenants from their rent-controlled apartments and throw them into the wilds of rental market with no vacancies and affordable rents.
Toronto's homeless families have grown and must stay in shelters as long as eight months before they can find a place to live.
Promote home ownership for tenants of all incomes and create real competition for rental industry.
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
Yes it would help the homesless peopel alot as it would be much easier for renting a basement apartment and the homeless could easily move in time of emergency.
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
Homeless are usually New comers to the rental housing market,immigrants,refugees,Seniors who face eviction due to fixed incomes and increased rents etc and single parents
5. What is the role of charity? May charity sometimes create an illusion of action?
Consider the following. During the winter, I volunteer at a homeless shelter in Newmarket, called Inn From the Cold. Several municipal politicians are also volunteers. I believe what I am doing is worthwhile but I wonder whether this is a real solution. The shelter is only open on Thursdays to Mondays from December to the end of March. It does open on other days if the temperature goes below -15 degrees. I am hoping that this year it will be open 7 days a week but it will still not be open all year. In the end, it remains a shelter, not a home.
The purpose of charity is to help through nonprofit means liek fund raising such as welfare services etc.Yes it could create an illusion of action because it is understandable that it is jsut a temporary means of help and not a solution to the problem.
By
Ayesha, at 3:16 p.m.
Homelessness: A Response
Homelessness is a real problem that affects all of us. Like all issues there are two sides to every story. However after educating myself about the other side of the fence, my feet remain firmly planted on this side of the fence. There are far too many people living without shelter. This as a Canadian, I cannot understand. There are far too many children living without a home. This as a human, I cannot tolerate.
Some solutions could be that we do not just throw people out due to non payment of rent. That there should some protection put in place, and followed with regards to, where the tenant will go if he or she is evicted. That persons living with fixed income or disabilities are not subject to rental increases that are beyond their means. With regards to legal solutions a suggestion of more agencies like legal aid that can assist low income no income persons obtain funding. Or perhaps an ombudsman that would keep our government in line with its promises and policies.
Easing the restrictions is just one step in a very complex issue. I am of the opinion that every step listed in the “Hidden Homelessness “article is do-able. There is a huge concern that if low income people are allowed into the middle and upper class communities, crime and disaster will follow. I have heard these comments first hand. I have watched a very good friend flee her neighbourhood when the peel regional police confirmed her suspicions that low income residents were being moved from Jane and Bloor into the Brampton area.
I cannot solely conclude that all homeless people are lazy. Nor, do I think it is fair to apply that label to an ever growing population. If you recognize that one in seven of this population are children; would you call them lazy and turn your back? I hope not. I have been fortunate enough to know some people throughout my life that have been or became homeless. I have a friend whose son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He took to a life on the streets because he was deathly afraid that someone in the shelter was going to poison him when he ate, or off him while he slept. She has not heard from him in over five years. Just yesterday I met a man on the bus. He has been living on the streets for ten years. We spoke for about thirty minutes and I found out he was extremely well educated and articulate. He told me that streets had made him smarter. He lived a very upper class life until a car crash nearly killed him. He was never the same after that and has been taking work as it comes just to eat. I’ve also know people who are deemed as the working homeless. There are mothers who are working fulltime jobs and who are living with their children in homeless shelters. What comes in gets paid right back out. This means they cannot produce the first and last month’s rent required to relocate. Day after day; year after year, the cycle repeats?
I believe that the role of charity is opening your heart. True charity begins with a smile and a willingness to make someone’s day brighter. The lasting effects of kindness and understanding cannot be spent. Money is essential for the basic necessities of life, I cannot argue that. However the financial contributions are the icing on the cake so to speak. If charity were a train, I would say to you that, you can wait at the train station all day, watching car after car pass you by, it is only when you make the decision to get on, will you get to where you are going.
By
Rebecca, at 10:21 p.m.
As a little girl I used to listen to this song on the radio; it has followed me throughout my life. I could imagine I was the little girl with nothing to eat, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not imagine being the man on the street. I am so grateful for that.
She calls out to the man on the street
sir, can you help me?
Its cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep,
Is there somewhere you can tell me?
He walks on, doesn’t look back
He pretends he can’t hear her
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street
Seems embarrassed to be there
Oh think twice, it’s another day for
You and me in paradise
She calls out to the man on the street
He can see she’s been crying
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet
Can’t walk but she’s trying
Oh lord, is there nothing more anybody can do
Oh lord, there must be something you can say
You can tell from the lines on her face
You can see that she’s been there
Probably been moved on from every place
cause she didn’t fit in there
Oh think twice...
Paradise, Phil Collins
By
Rebecca, at 10:22 p.m.
Rebecca, beautiful and groovy.
By
Hippy Chick, at 10:37 a.m.
Homelessness is definitely a real problem. There are too many individuals out there living in conditions that are beyond what most of us could ever imagine. Just the idea of Canadians living in the ever developed nation called Canada yet enduring the conditions they are is baffling.
As many articles out there state, the solution to homelessness is closer and more attainable than the average person might think. After reviewing the shocking numbers and statistics of the costs taxpayers incur due to homelessness, I am amazed and really feel it is enough to convince the vast majority of people to go after their local government to demand change.
Landlord and tenant law obviously goes hand in hand with the issue of homelessness. It has the most power to make the changes necessary to ensure that people do not end up searching for new places to live, or at least help lessen the number of people that do. Putting in new rules and regulations to govern the spiking costs of rentals and housing costs would be a great start. There could also be more effort put into maintaining more community housings or co-op developments to provide more options to those who cannot afford the costs of the average rental. The province needs to review how the majority of landlords are coming up with the prices they do and need to give guidelines as to how much they can make a profit by.
The article “Hidden Homelessness” had a variety of suggestions relating to homelessness. Many of them were appealing, since many of them in my opinion would raise awareness which is crucial. In particular, I was very interested in the idea which suggested t hat municipalities allow homeowners to create apartments which are less expensive than most dwellings. I think that this is a definite must. This would make room for those who have the means to afford lesser costs for renting. There should still be however restrictions and guidelines to exactly what is made a basement apartment. For example, it would be ridiculous to an apartment smaller than a certain size and ceilings lower than the average. These apartments cannot be any less comfortable to live in and should still abide by rules.
Sadly enough, many people out there are not educated in respect to homelessness and are not aware of the real threat it poses. The oblivious think that all homeless are drug addicts, mentally ill and unstable. This in fact is not the case. Instead, most homeless people are average working people who were caught up and could not compete with the raising rates of housing and in turn, ended up on the streets or on a friend’s couch. They most definitely are not just “lazy people who need to get a job”. These people are unfortunately subject to the unattainable costs of living on large cities.
Charities are great. Unfortunately, they do not provide long lasting solutions to the real problem at hand. Of course, having a shelter available during the harshest weather is nice, but would it not be better to have people actually placed in homes they can call their own? In a sense, charities do create a sort of illusion that something is being done to curb homelessness; instead, it is housing the homeless temporarily. I most definitely do not think that charities should stop altogether, but I would be more beneficial for groups to open the eyes of other Canadians and the local politicians to get up and do something.
In response to Rebecca’s post: I completely agree with you that this is all just a vicious cycle. One where an individual works and works, only to have his or her paycheck spent before they even get it. These people find themselves living “paycheck to paycheck”, unable to really get out to the financial rut they have somehow found themselves in. There needs to be more done to assists low-income families in their times of need, as opposed to spending thousands of dollars a month on the related costs we incur to keep people homeless. It is a sad situation that has gone on too long. Educate people and maybe things can change.
By
Jennah, at 5:57 p.m.
Homelessness is an epidemic in today’s society. I myself have been homeless more than once in the past. I have bounced from home to home and lived in shelters, and although I was grateful that I never had to live on the streets of Toronto I can only imagine what it would be like especially in the dead of winter. I was shocked when reading the monthly costs for individuals in the “focus on homelessness” article. The fact that it costs more for homelessness than it does to actually house a family disgusted me. I know that every day can be a struggle for some individuals especially when it comes to feeding your family and paying your rent, and trust me when I say it is a very thin line between the two. I have faced eviction in the past and it is scary to know that you and your kids may not have a place to sleep. My friend who lives on a low income with three kids has to make two payments each month just to be able to pay her rent. Her only source of income is her Ontario works cheque and child tax benefit. Her building management just told her the other day that they will no longer accommodate the payment plan and will be sending her an eviction notice for any arrears owing on the first of every month. This is just one example of many with regards to the threatening of eviction. I believe that there should be some kind of leniency with tenants on a low income especially where children are involved. I strongly believe that if it is costing so much for homelessness that instead of putting so much money into shelters (temporary housing) that they should use that money to fund more subsidized housing so that individuals can afford a home to call their own.
By
JLEE, at 9:06 a.m.
Isn't it easier to ignore or not even think about whether there are people living on the streets, especially when you're sleeping in your warm bed at night? Well it's time to wake up people, this is a huge problem. I woke up when someone really close to me was almost there. My couch was a welcome to his family. His family was one of the "hidden" ones that because he had an apartment, all of us thought he was "ok" until the signs began. "Can I borrow money for rent?" "Can you give me a ride to the food bank?" Then the dreaded statement, "I'm getting evicted." Without knowing much about how the government works, I ask myself alot of the times, "How the hell can they give away 21 million on this weeks lottery and there are still so many people on the streets?" I almost feel guilty though, I sponser a child in Africa, which made me feel so good, but when I see the stats on the homeless in my own backyard, Iwonder, why can't my sponsorship be in Canada? I don't believe I had that option when sponsoring. Is there that choice in a sponsorship program like Christian Children's Fund? Someone please let me know.
By
Anonymous, at 12:56 p.m.
Yes obviously homelessness is a real problem in communities, big and small, all across our country. Even one homeless person is one too many, especially in a country as rich as ours.
I live in a non-profit housing co-operative and we have subsidized units available. We continuously have people apply from the shelters around the city, for units. We have given quite a few units to people from shelters. Unfortunately we do not have enough units to keep up with the applicants. The rules they have at the shelters are so strict also, they are allowed to stay for a limited time and have to leave during the day to search for work and a home, and keep their children with them while they are doing this. What happens if they cannot find affordable housing within that time period? Do we just have more homeless families on the street now?
The government has allocated 850 million dollars to improve low income housing, but I have yet to see anything happening. Our category of housing has been allocate 150 million dollars of grant money. We have to go through a long application process, and then an inspection. We have been approved for a portion of the grant money to do repairs, but we have no idea how much money we will receive. It will be no where near the 900 thousand dollars we need. This means we will end up in more debt and unable to help as many people as we would like.
The government needs to follow through on their promises. They need to create more low income housing and more shelters. The Royal Connaught Hotel in Hamilton has been empty for years and would be the perfect place to create rooms for the homeless or low income housing.
There also needs to be more follow through on prosecuting landlords who discriminate against tenants they may find undesirable. This just adds to homelessness when they are now unable to find homes - where are they to turn?
The article, "Hidden Homelessness" brings it all home. I believe the zoning restrictions springs from the NIMBY principle - NOT IN MY BACKYARD. People just don't want to deal with this issue and if they do not see it they do not have to believe it exists. There are so many things we can do to help. If you cannot help financially, as most of can't, contribute with your time. Bring this issue to the forefront. Make people read this article and perhaps they may see that it could be them or someone they know.
The homeless could be anyone, as this article proves. Of course, you will find the odd person who does not want to work and just does not care, but I believe if you asked the majority of homeless people would give anything to have a home. A lot of people struggling are those on fixed incomes. Their monies do not increase, but their expenses do. Single mothers trying to raise children, not sure where they will be sleeping. How can they be enrolled in school? How about new residents to Canada or the sick?
Is charity enough? Opening a shelter when it goes below -15 degrees. Is that enough? It's not cold enough the rest of the time? They do not need a bed any other time of the year? Or food? Or should we be putting a time limit on shelter stays? How charitable are we really being?
Bottom line is - these people need more than charity, they need a permanent solution.
By
kellya, at 1:06 p.m.
Homelessness is a real problem. The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA) and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada) released a report in April 2009 showing one-in-five Ontario tenant households spend 50%, or more, of their income on housing; Rents in Ontario are, for the most part, rising faster than incomes. Vacancy rates continued to drop, making it harder to find suitable rental accommodation. In some areas, the wait for an affordable housing unit in many categories is over five years. In one instance, the Region of Peel, the wait is over 20 years. (ONPHA and CHF Canada Ontario. Apl. 2009
With statistics like this, it’s no wonder we have a homelessness problem. When people are faced with the choice of food or housing, we know what that choice will be. We also know what will happen to housing. These are some of the people who become homeless.
I do not think the Landlord and Tenant Act have any provisions in it to help people who are spending more than 50% of their income on housing. This Act does not help low-income adults that cannot afford today’s rent. The solution to homelessness is not with the Landlord and Tenant Act, it’s with the politicians. It has to come from the people with the power and authority to do something.
I agree with some of the suggestions in the article “Hidden Homelessness.” However, I don’t believe the suggestions are the solutions. The article “The True Cost of Homelessness,” has better suggestions that can provide long term solutions. I like the following suggestions; Index welfare, social and social assistance to inflation; Develop a new affordable housing strategy that develops market and non-market and rent-to-own units; Municipalities to reform their zoning bylaws to allow for basement suites. These suggestions would go a long way to help alleviate the problem.
By
Unknown, at 7:25 p.m.
1.Homelessness is a real problem. Although the cost of homelessness is very high, the fact that it costs even more to keep a person homeless costs even more is quite alarming. Homelessness is when people don’t have enough money to support themselves financially; therefore they don’t have shelter of food to themselves or their family. Homelessness is caused by the lack of social assistance and other government benefits. People who do not receive proper benefits from the government who really need them have a hard time affording their homes.
2.There are solutions to homelessness within the scope of the landlord and tenant law. Tenants that don’t recently lose their jobs should be given some sort of protection, meaning they should be giving time to find another job and pay their rent instead of living in fear that they may be given a notice of termination by their landlord. This reduces a lot of mental stress for people who are living cheque by cheque because it allows them to focus on getting a job knowing that they do have a place to go to at the end of the day.
3.I definitely understand and agree with the article “Hidden Homelessness”. I agree that a lot of homeless people are not visible to the public eye. Easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless because it would make it easier for people to find accommodations. Rules and procedures should not be so strict in order to obtain a basement apartment; this will help people get shelter in less time. Allowing homeless get accommodation should be the first priority for the government. No one deserves to be left on the streets.
4. Homeless people are those who are unfortunate victims of events beyond their control. There are many situations that can arise which lead to homelessness. Women who don’t make enough income and seniors who are faced with increased rents and taxes are victims of homelessness. Students who are working towards making their future can also fall victim of homelessness. They don’t have financial assistance available to help them. Single parents and new immigrants are also unfortunate victims, if given benefits or some sort of help, such as social assistance, welfare and government using homelessness can be prevented. I don’t believe homeless people are lazy because no individual would wish to be in that position at any point in their life. Shelter, food, and clothing are necessities of life.
5.Charity is volunteering generously with non profit organizations and helping to shape your community to a better place. I think charity may cause an illusion because as stated in the article “Hidden Homeless” most of the homeless community is not visible. This means you could be volunteering or giving donations to a certain charity, but it might not be helping a significant number of people. Also, the help could be just for a short period of time. These homeless people need housing that they can live in for life.
By
Unknown, at 5:27 p.m.
I agree with Michael. We must do something about affordable housing and poverty. Homelessness is just a symptom of the disease.
By
Hippy Chick, at 6:32 p.m.
Part 1 Homlessness Discussion
Homelessness is an epidemic that is spreading all across the world. Homelessness is a huge problem that needs to be prevented. Many people around the world suffer from poverty. Seniors, men, women, and children are all at risk of becoming homeless at one time or another. Homelessness can cause a mental and physical strain on a person’s emotions and energy. Everyone needs to participate in the termination of homelessness. Homelessness can be preventable if everyone steps in and takes action. Moreover, homelessness is a problem because it costs the government and the tax payers thousands of dollars a year. It would cost the world less money to accommodate people with more housing.
There are many solutions to help cure homelessness. One solution is for more people to become active members in their community. There should be more organizations and volunteers to help build homes for people who are in need. People should donate money, clothes, and non perishable food items to charities. I feel that if people were more generous and giving, there would be less people who are struggling to survive. I feel people need to start understanding the importance of helping one another. People need to remember that homelessness can affect anyone, and at any time. Also, another solution to homelessness is for the government to make more available housing, and more affordable housing for all human beings. I feel that a house, apartment, or condo should be built for every person in the entire world. It should be a human’s right to live in a comfortable and safe environment. A very important solution to stopping homelessness is to help family and friends when they are struggling. For example, helping could include providing them with a place to stay until they have saved money or have found a job. It could also include lending them money until they get back on their feet. A little help from everyone will make the world a better place.
Many of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to me. For example, volunteering at local charities, supporting the work of Raising the Roof, and to secure support services to help people maintain their housing are all great solutions to help fight back against homelessness. I feel that easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless because more housing would become available. More housing and accommodations create less homeless people. I feel that the concern is to protect tenants from substandard accommodation.
By
Unknown, at 11:20 p.m.
Part 2- Homelessness Discussion
Homeless people are a mixture of different ages, races, and backgrounds. There are people who are homeless because they are lazy, and there are people who are homeless because they are addicted to drugs. Also, there are people who are homeless because of unfortunate circumstances. For example, some people get fired from their work place without warning, and are no longer able to pay their rent. Other people have become homeless from house fires, divorces, and uncontrollable weather disasters.
The role of charity is to help people who are in need. Charities are designed to provide kindness and sympathy towards others. The role of charity is to provide food, clothing, money, and shelter to those who do not have the necessities in life to survive. I do feel that some charities create an illusion of action. There are some fake charities in the world that scam people for their money. They have no intention on helping anyone but themselves. There are also other charities that do not provide the people who are in need with the full amount of money that has been donated. I prefer donating to non profit organizations because I feel that they are striving for the people. I feel that some charities could do a lot more to solve the problem of homelessness. Also, more resources need to be available to people. Shelters should be open twenty four hours a day, and should be open all year long. People need to get off of the street and into the warmth of a loving support system. Homelessness is a disturbing issue. People need to be more aware of the issue at hand, and how to help fix it.
My family and I have helped people survive homelessness many times. There have been a few friends and family members who we have taken into our home in time of need. I have had a friend whose house caught on fire and burnt to the ground. It was an emotionally painful experience. My friend lost everything in the fire. She stayed with us until she was financially ready to move on. Moreover, a family friend lived with us while she struggled through an awful divorce. We have provided many people with a safe place to live, and have helped them to get a new start in life. Not everyone in the world deserves a helping hand and sometimes you have to pick and choose who to help, but it really does make you feel good when you know you have made a difference in someone else’s life.
I enjoyed reading Rebecca’s response to homelessness. It was detailed and well written. I agree with Rebecca’s solutions to homelessness. I thought it was interesting how she discussed people with disabilities and rent increases. I also agree with the solution of adding more agencies such as legal aid. Court cases can be long and expensive. I feel that more legal aid offices would be beneficial to the solution of preventing homelessness. It would also provide people with more available resources Furthermore, I found Rebecca’s stories about her friend, and the man who she met on the bus to be very touching and eye opening. Her stories show the readers how homelessness is a serious issue, and how it needs to be prevented.
By
Unknown, at 11:22 p.m.
Homelessness
The thought of people not being able to put roof over their heads does not only make me sick, it leaves me powerless.
It is a fact that there is no one cause of homelessness –some people are homeless because of the society, or should I say the government. For example, families find themselves homeless because they could not pay their rents, even when they have full time jobs. Unfortunately, people who fall under this category are left to deal with such detrimental conditions all alone. Furthermore, some families are separated as they find places that will take them or their children for the time being; some squat with friends, relatives, while others live in shelters and sometimes in their cars, and eventually on the streets
Here is a question. What do we think will happen to children from these families when they are separated?
Sadly the answer to this question can be bleak because the children could be both physically and emotionally affected by this event in their lives. Some of these children end up depressed, they could be sexually abused, or even some of the girls may become promiscuous because of the deplorable conditions they might find themselves, which may lead to teenage pregnancy. Ergo the cycle continues as they give birth to children they, like their parents, can not cater for.
On the street anything is possible including drug and alcohol abuse. They may all eventually end up on the street if no help is given to them.
Remember the genesis of the problem was that they were evicted because they could not pay their rent.
I cease this opportunity to advocate for rent reduction. This is a very sensitive issue the government should look into. I agree with the article, “Hidden Homelessness” which suggests easing the restrictions on basement apartments. If this is done, it will make rents more affordable, which will in turn reduce the number of homelessness.
I strongly disagree with the provision that has to do with the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation, especially when we have thousands of people out on the street without a roof over their heads. This line of thought, I would say, is a misplaced priority. To homeless people what we regard as substandard accommodation could be regarded as paradise.
Until the government realizes that it is more expensive to keep its citizens homeless than it is to invest on affordable homes for them, homelessness will continue to be a threat to our society.
On the other hand 30% of the citizens are just lazy; able human beings who can work, but chooses not to because they have a charitable organization were all basic needs are met. Basic needs such as shelters to rest their heads; clothing when the ones they have are worn out; and foods when they are hungry. All these are attained at the expense of taxpayers. This category of people do not know what it takes to be responsible, they go from place to place contributing nothing to the economy, they know where to go to get their haircuts, cloths, shoes, and allowances on a weekly basis at no cost. The quality of food provided for this people, the average working class Canadian taxpayer cannot afford.
Here is my argument, if the government can put all this in place for this set of people, why can’t the government do same for people who are actually working, but cannot afford to pay their rents because the income gap is growing and affordable housing is decreasing.
By
Fc, at 1:10 p.m.
Homelessness? I am glad that a bunch of “BLEEDING HEARTS” have been given a forum, such one, to once again bash the efforts of the government. It is incongruous that we can, under one breadth, scream and yelp about how the government is taking our rights away as citizens by getting involved in our personal matters, shouldn’t this be regarded as a personal matter? Of course not! Thanks to our loud mouth whiners. It is alright to demand that the government intervene when people have mocked up their lives. May I remind you again that in life we all make choices; and that these choices are either beneficial to our circumstances or detrimental to our circumstances, but instead of us taking responsibility for our vacuous actions and mend our ways, we all roll out the perpetual “whipping boy” (the government) and wallop it on the buttocks once more.
I have come to the conclusion that people are where they want to be. In the case of homelessness…well. The fact that I am trying to defend the government against the people that should be ignored makes me gag, especially, when I have seen first hand what these people are all about. I have encountered young men, women, and even older people who are able to contribute to their own welfare, but preferring to hold out their hands for crumbs that fall off the national cake, rather than actively searching for occupations. These people have no interest in contributing to the national cake they want to partake in.
Sadly, I have had the unfortunate opportunity to read the drivel of the propaganda posing as legitimate information in all of the articles that have been provided for us (sorry Richard). Again people! These are statistics and statistics are a dime a dozen! If I want, I can find statistics that supports “Under achievement,” that also strongly recommends its practice. The sad part is that I can also find people who will take up the “Under achievement” cause as long as there is a villain, perhaps, the government. You may ask what this has got to do with homelessness, my point, my dear friends, is that statistics can be manipulated, and I believe that “Focus on Homelessness” has been. “Hidden Homelessness” is no better in its willingness to quickly point its finger at government’s deficiencies.
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iva.obayuwana, at 1:11 p.m.
continuing my though, Canadian government have not sat idly by during, what you people would like to declare an epidemic. Contrary to what I would boldly declare as an epidemic. By the way, an epidemic is when a country cannot feed itself because of natural occurrences (draught, flood etc) and lack of resources. This is not the case with Canada. Canada is a country where opportunities are in abundance; still people complain because they are too lazy to pick themselves up. Nevertheless; in its generous effort to rectify homelessness, Canadian government has poured money into building shelter, structuring and constructing low-income housing, as well as providing medical care to these people. Again, they say it is not enough.
In my opinion I think the Canadian government has done enough. I will attest that these “Bleeding hearts” as well as their stooges will continue to pan-handle the government with their tattered empty hats held out. I have never seen an article about homeless people who are willing to give something back to the government who have done so much for them. Maybe in the form of service like going to sweep the front of City-Hall, join the army for “food and board,” or contribute to the country’s welfare in anyway. In fact, this is a question for the homeless and their lovers, with specific knowledge that they (the homeless) do nothing all day, when are you going to put into practice the famous words of late President J. F. Kennedy “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.?”
For once, I am going to say what those of us who are dying in silence have always wanted to say in spite of civility, or political correctness, thump the homeless. My suggestion is that instead of spending all these money on destitutes, the Canadian government should think about paying down the national debt, cut the tax rate, and finally, save the rest for the retirement of those people who are contributing to society; the government should also invest in making Canada financially more robust for those who are willing to work for it. Otherwise, there will be nothing left.
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iva.obayuwana, at 1:12 p.m.
1. I believe homelessness is a real and growing problem in our country. It is extremely upsetting to discover just how much of a problem it is, especially in a country as well off as Canada.
2. There are solutions available within the scope of landlord and tenant law, for instance, to maybe have stronger tenant protection rights instead of having numerous opportunities for the landlord to make a notice of termination. Also, they could consider having a longer period for non-payment of rent with regards to low income families.
3. Many of the suggestions in the "Hidden Homelessness" article were appealing to me; I believe that they can all be a step forward in solving this on-going problem of homelessness. Particularly, I think that the innovative project like a local rent or utility bank to help low-income families and individuals would be extremely helpful for those unfortunate people who are on or below the poverty line in this country. Also, the point which focuses on the municipality allowing homeowners to create apartments or second suites their home because they can be the least expensive form of rental accommodation and can help families become home owners. I think that this would definitely be a step forward in solving homelessness.
4. The homeless are a variety of people, they range from women, men, young adults, children, families, immigrants and seniors. I don't think that all homeless people are "lazy people who should get a job". I think the majority of homeless people are victims of unfortunate events beyond their control. There is the random person who is homeless due to substance abuse or a bad addiction and they just can't find the will power to stop, but I don't believe that anyone would choose to be on the streets without food, clothing or the security of having a home. I have heard stories of people who own a good home, and have a decent career and they choose to dress-up like a homeless person and collect money in a cup every week. I think that is terrible and it disturbing to think that those individuals take advantage of people's willingness to give when there are real people who are living on the streets or in shelters who need help. This problem can't be solved by handing people change on the street we need a permanent solution to homelessness and it needs to happen now because it is only getting worse and the number of homeless people higher.
5. I believe that charities do help with the issue of homelessness, but they can definitely create an illusion of action because the really aren't helping to create a permanent solution. They do provide temporary relief maybe for a day, week, or month but what happens after that? Why are majority of shelters only open when it's cold outside? In some cases you are only allowed to stay in a shelter for one night, and then you have to try and get in the following night, how helpful is that? It is like putting a Band-Aid on the problem rather than working as a community/province/country to solve this scary issue. Until people find a safe, secure, affordable home, and have stability where they live, they cannot achieve stability where they work, where their children go to school and where they find support. There needs to be a plan to permanently solve this issue of homelessness, otherwise it is just going to get worse.
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Amanda .A., at 3:32 p.m.
Continuation:
In response to Gail's question I researched sponsorships in Canada pertaining to homelessness and these were the ones I found:
www.youthhomelessness.ca
www.canadianchristianity.com
www.raisingtheroof.org
www.helptheaged.ca
Gail the story about your friend opened my eyes and helped me to better relate to the article "Hidden Homelessness". There really are so many homeless people and families that are behind closed doors and that we can't see. It is really upsetting to think about how many homeless people we have in our city that we probably don't even know about. Also, I completely agree with you comment on the lottery, how is it that the government can offer a 35 million jackpot recently and yet it would only cost $1,080 a month to provide a new non-profit unit, according to the "Focus on Homelessness" article. It is disturbing to see where the priorities are in this country.
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Amanda .A., at 3:33 p.m.
Iva, you do have a point in some of what you are saying, but again I don’t agree to it all. This is what I have come up with. First, not everyone makes their choice to become homeless. Let’s take the mentally ill, was it their choice to become ill and had no choice but to become homeless? The government might have helped them as well, but have they really done enough? They build institutions for them to stay, and we are talking part time. They are provided a room, food and of course medical attention. Then they get thrown out of that institution cause the doctors and staff feel that they are well enough to go out on their own with heavy meds. How does that really help them, when they are put back into the streets without any direction? There’s no direction for them, they are not capable of taking care of themselves. We complain about taxes being raised, well why not take that and build an institution to provide a home for them. They can live there indefinitely and also have the freedom to experience life, just like you and I do. This will also create jobs for those who need them, to run the institution and maintain it.
Secondly, we have those innocent people that work hard and one day they wake up to not having a job. No matter how hard they try to find work, they can’t and then they become behind on their rent, can’t feed themselves and the nightmare hits them, they get evicted. I don’t believe that they chose their path either. What happens to them?
I agree that most people do take the system for granted and choose where they want to be. For that everyone that is homeless is put in the same category. There are people out there that are lazy, that refuse to work and help themselves. I agree that more attention is given to those who do abuse the system rather than those who really need it. I was always told, “help the needy, not the greedy” How do we know who falls into which one? This is where the government needs to really look hard and help those who really need it.
In my opinion, maybe the government should look into helping the low-income, pension families and young people. Yes, they have, by providing shelters, hostels, food banks and so forth. What about looking into putting a cap on low-income housing, a set amount rent. Most of us know how much the government gives to people on a disability pension, CPP, not much. How can someone afford a home and feed themselves when once they pay their rent there’s not much money left.
If we did this for the needy, will there be less homeless people? Who knows, maybe, maybe not? We won’t know unless someone does take these into consideration and try to accomplish something that will help those who need it. As for the greedy, what can I say? There are shelters and programs for them to be able to go out there and start a new life, but do they? No, so why should we provide them with free food, free shelter? If we have to work why can’t they? Demands should be put in place for those who do take the country for granted. Yes, Canada is a free country, and has been taken to heart literally.
I know we can help those who really need it, as for those who can make a difference and choose not to; well, they should be on their own. We already have tried to help them.
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Leroux, at 7:42 p.m.
The majority of the homeless are not lazy, they are not able to work due to mental or physical disabilities. We should stop whining about paying taxes and live the religious values that conservatives like to preach but fail to put into practice.
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Hippy Chick, at 8:48 p.m.
Are we, and by we, I mean, all of us involved in the Paralegal Program at Sheridan, in a position to know much about homelessness? Are any of us homeless, or do we have a nice warm comfortable place to return to at the end of the day?
Sure, some of us may not have all the comforts that we might like, but for the best part, we do OK. How many of us are confronted by homeless people on a regular basis, as opposed to to how many of us just see the homeless "squeegy kids" when we visit Downtown Toronto to see a concert that we've paid a week's rent for?
From what I've personaly seen of the "Homeless Crises", it seems to me that the problem is that, for the most part, these homeless people made a choice of non conformity which led them to where they are today; however, I will also say that for many of them, by the time they realized that maybe the grass was'nt all that green on the other side, it was too late. And for those people, along with the genuinely "poor" homeless person, I feel sorry.
What solution could there be put into place to help the situation if any? Well, Cuba has a system where every citizen has a roof over their head; but at what price? Is comunism the answer to, what may be described by some lobby groups as being, the "homeless crises". Could it be that, from an early age, the youth of today (who make up a significant number of homeless statistics),need to be diciplined to such a degree that they have no choice but to conform with rules set by parents, or institutions that are in place for their own good - let's say, schools for instance! For many of the homeless in the city that I live in, the word homeless, needs to be coupled with the word, helpless.
For the genuine people in need; the people that the problem is real and true, does the government do enough? There are some places in the world, such as the U.K., problems for the genuinely homeless
don't get to the point where people are put out on the street. There is always reserved accomodations available for the genuine down on their luck people. Shelters for the poor. Programes within those shelters that will get a person or family to a point where they can go back into the normal society with some kind of dignity and self respect. But I can't emphasize enough, that these means are for the genuine people and not for the non conformists.Help, is for the people who will use it in the way that it is intended.
Landlords are business people just like the owners of Sheridan College, or Sears, or McDonalds. Nobody can expect to go into McDonalds and eat for free, so why should a landlord allow somebody to live in a rental unit for free. A landlord ha sto wait for his money for a long time if a tenant does'nt pay. Quite possibly, more often than not, the landlord may end up loosing any back rent owed. How are we going to feel if we get stiffed by one of clients once we graduate and start our own businesses. For some things, we cannot blame the landlords coz it aint there fault!
Fortunately there are some good people that are willing to extend a good hand to the people of the street. Good people that no matter what, will always try to bring the best out in others. But please forgive me for being cynical, but not all people have a "Best" to bring out!
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Unknown, at 9:26 p.m.
I think all of us agree with the plight of the homeless in Canada especially in the Greater Toronto area. However, we do have different views on how to solve the problem. Some of us would like to see reduced rents, and stop landlords from kicking tenants out when they don’t pay the rent.
I just want to mention a couple of things about that. First, landlords use rental apartment buildings as investments, just like the rest of us who have investments in the stock market or RRSP’s. If landlords cannot make a fair return on their investment there wouldn’t be any future apartment buildings being built. Second, we can’t get affordable housing from the private sector without government funding. The private sector is in it for the money that is plain and simple. In our capitalist society private investors go where the money is, if they can’t make money in apartments they will go elsewhere.
This brings me to the third point. There is only one other place the money can come from, and that is us, yes, I mean you and me. Unfortunately, when we start losing our social programs, like welfare not indexed to inflation, or social housing comes to a standstill it’s all because there is no money. Every time we get a cut in taxes this happens, because there is a price to be paid for tax cuts. We can’t have our cake and eat it too, something got to give, and that something is social programs. If the government said they could fix our homeless problem in 5 years, but they need to raise taxes by 3% they will be voted out of office. So where is the problem?
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Unknown, at 9:43 p.m.
As much as I agree with the individuals who have stated that the government needs to do more in regards to homelessness, I have to urge you all to take a closer look at the other side. There are some homeless people that once in a home; they do nothing to enhance their lives. Instead like Iva stated "they prefer to indulge in a piece of the national cake", thereby not contributing. I HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THIS...and while the truth is that this only applies to some homeless people, it paints a bad picture for all homeless people. I know two individuals that were homeless. Both were giving low-income housing. One has chosen to pursue her studies with the hope of making a better life for her and her daughter. The other has instead chosen to go on welfare. (Nothing is wrong with that! however I have always believed that welfare should not be long-term, but rather short term, especially for those individuals that are able to work study etc.) When I ask her if she was going to try and obtain a job with the hope of enhancing her life along with her three kids. Her response was “if I get a job, my rent will increase and so will my baby bonus. What this clearly shows is that some people chose their life and circumstances (as Iva also sated) and as such has to deal with their own battles.
I firmly believe that even if the government build more affordable homes, it would have to be closely monitored. This would be essential so that those individuals that lack ambition and drive would understand that it does not stop here. As long as they have the capacity to contribute to society they should get off their lazy butts and do something.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 10:01 p.m.
"Landlords are business people just like the owners of Sheridan College, or Sears, or McDonalds. Nobody can expect to go into McDonalds and eat for free, so why should a landlord allow somebody to live in a rental unit for free."
The above excerpt from Greg's blog echoes my sentiments. I have always believed that most people, who are in possession of a home, did not just attain it like that. For some, it meant hard work, toil and sweat; therefore, they have to protect what is rightfully theirs. After all, when the rent is not paid, landlords have to find the money to pay the mortgage. Why then would they allow people to live for free? As it stands, the Residential Tenancies does little or nothing to protect Landlords, therefore sometimes extreme measures must be taken, and sadly sometimes it involves eviction.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 10:33 p.m.
Homelessness is a growing concern in our society that may people are afraid to discuss. Many people shun the homeless and cast various discriminatory and stereotypical assumptions about homeless people. In this turbulent economy, homelessness includes a broader group of people. This who lose there homes for various reasons, but may not be living on the streets are also homeless by definition. Many families live with many people in one home that have multiple incomes just to ensure there is a roof over their heads and a warm place to sleep. I listen to people speak and I hear may negative connotations regarding more than the traditional family residing under one roof. One must understand that many homeless people are not homeless by choice. Once you get to that point it is very difficult to get back up. The barriers are high; however, it is possible. I think society needs to change the way homeless people are viewed. Homelessness is not only a concern of the homeless; it’s a concern for society at large. There is no justifiable reason for a child to be living on the streets. The government needs to step up and use tax money wisely and put more funding into programs to help those in need of assistance.
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Sebrina, at 10:34 p.m.
Rebecca as much as I would love to agree with you that "The majority of the homeless are not lazy, they are not able to work due to mental or physical disabilities.” I HAVE TO DISAGREE. Unless there are hardcore acts to support such an assumption, I cannot readily attest to that. The truth is there are also some homeless, who do not have any disabilities, yet they do nothing to assist in enhancing their lives, and I can readily say this is true because I know people who are in this capacity. Why then should the government or anybody else for that matter assist people who do not want to enhance their own lives? Get real! Like I always say “IF IT IS GOING TO BE, IT WILL BE UP TO ME.” Couple years ago The Toronto Sun did a story on a lady that was posing to be homeless. Each morning (5 days a week) her son would drop her off in the vicinity of Yorkville, dressed in tattered rags. I cannot recall the exact figure, but essentially her weekly earnings were comparable to full-time employees who were working a decent job. Also, she resided in one of Toronto’s most wealthy neighbourhood. How then can you distinguish the crooks from those that are genuinely homeless? It is for this reason that I do not give to every homeless person I come across. I thank God for a spirit of discernment in that I am able to readily identify the scammers….
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 11:32 p.m.
Adrea, I am sure what you say about some of the homeless is true. However, I truly believe that most homeless have some disability, mental or physical. As I said before, we need to stop whining about paying taxes and live the values that some like to preach but fail to put into action.
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Hippy Chick, at 12:12 p.m.
RESPONSE:
I agree with Adrea, that not everyone out there is actually homeless; some people just pose to be homeless to make easy money, because of plain laziness. For example, I occasionally see this one man who begs people for money claiming he hasn’t eaten for days. When in reality he just wants money to be handed to him, to buy a pack of cigarettes. People like this help contribute to me thinking, that they are NOT as unfortunate as they claim. That the majority of them just put on an act, so they don’t have to work for anything in life. I personally feel that some people are left homeless due to their own actions, mainly because of drug /alcohol addiction.
On the other hand, I slightly agree with Amanda when she says that it is “due to mental or physical disabilities.” I don’t think that this is the reason behind the majority of homelessness. But, I do feel that a small portion of people are suffering from mental or physical disability, which is enabling them from supporting themselves financially. I feel that the government needs to take action, and help these specific disadvantaged groups, by assisting them in getting affordable, appropriate housing and care that meets their needs.
Also, I think that in many cases, landlords are always being blamed for evicting a tenant; they seem to be portrayed as the “bad guy” always. I feel that the government is to blame for the increase in homeless people in Canada, not tenants. This is because, the government is not providing affordable housing to meet certain groups needs, the government has failed to help the situation with tax payer money. Instead, the Canadian government has cut funding for housing to reduce its deficit; this doesn’t seem like a solution to homelessness to me. Therefore, I feel that Landlords are not to blame, the government is. This is mainly because, Landlords can’t afford to be renting there basement apartments to free-loaders, who fail to pay rent, because they have their own expenses to maintain. Think about it. If you where a landlord would you allow a tenant to live in your basement free of rent or evict them?
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Afush Khan, at 12:41 p.m.
Homelessness is a reality to many families. As a child, I use to think that if I were to ever become poor, I would simply apply for a job, work and save up money until I could afford a home. Little did I know that life isn’t that simple. How can one fill out a job application when they have no address to write down? I can not even begin to understand what it’s like to be homeless or live in poverty, since I have been so lucky to have two parents who work hard everyday to give me everything they never had growing up. However, even my parents use to live in poverty. Before they immigrated to Canada, both my mum and dad lived in Cyprus; a very poor island. As both my grandparents had 8 children, it became hard to support their families – I can only imagine what it’s like to live in Canada and be poor.
Poverty and homelessness exists in our society today, and what is being done about it? As Kelly said in her blog, the government has allocated millions of dollars into improving low income housing, but where is this money going? In addition to that, Canada has charities that have thousands and thousands of dollars being invested into them. Are they really making a difference? I think not. Homelessness has not decreased much in the last decade.
As a cashier of a food store, we are constantly dealing with people stealing food and baby formula – could these criminal offences be a direct link to homelessness and poverty? It’s hard to see a man get taken out of the store in handcuffs because he was trying to supply food for his child, and/or family.
As I read the articles, it becomes more and more clear to me that not every homeless person is lazy. Homelessness can result from many things, such as mental illnesses, drug and alcohol abuse, being forced out of ones country as a result of war, economic conditions, welfare rates being cut and illegal evictions.
In regards to the article titled “Hidden Homelessness”, it really hit close to home for me as one of my close friends was sofa-surfing in other peoples homes because she just couldn’t keep up with all the living expenses. As a single-mother with no family in Canada, she was constantly struggling to get by with her 3-year old son.
Similarly, even some people who are technically not ‘homeless’ are still living in poverty, even underneath a roof. Although they may be able to come up with the rent each month – take a look into their fridge and tell me what you see. Many people struggle each day to make ends-meat and what is our society, our government, doing to stop this? How many times are homeless/poor people going to be rejected, before things get better for them? How many shelters are they going to be turned down from because all the beds are full?
Poverty makes me really sad, and the more I learn about it, the sadder I get. What I do know for sure, is reading these articles and analyzing poverty and homelessness, gives me a new appreciation for the life that I do live. I feel so blessed.
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miss.remzi, at 5:47 p.m.
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
Homelessness is a real problem, and it will probably an ever-lasting problem.
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
Some solutions would be not to throw people out of their apartments even if they are one cheque away from being evicted. The landlord should try to be understanding and give them a bit more time to pay the rent or come up with a solution so that the tenant can stay in the housing. There could be more community housing or co-op development, something like the Metro Housing. There are tons of houses and apartments being built but it is a bit hard to fill them up, also if the waiting lists for the houses were cut in half for more people to get in, that would be better off for everyone.
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
The article “Hidden Homelessness” does appeal to me. In a way it’s amazing that there are so many homeless people you don’t even think and the statistics about it.. Just blew my mind away because you don’t think about it on a regular basis.
I think easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless because then they’ll have a roof over their head and a place to call home. They may not have everything they want but at least then they have heat and shelter when the winter comes. I think the concern is to protect tannts from substandard accommodation rather than keeping “those people” out of suburbia. It seems that tenants would rather people who can keep up with rent and pay it rather than the homeless, or they’re afraid of something but just don’t know what.
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
Homeless people are unfortunate victims of events beyond their control. I’ve known a few friends of mine that have been homeless (not sure if they still are seeing as I haven’t talked to them since the middle of grade 12.. or later). Many of the homeless are also runaways or people who want to get away from it all and think they can but then realize that no matter what nothing can change unless they want it to change. Many people who suffer mental disabilities or go through things that can’t be accounted for.
5. What is the role of charity? May charity sometimes create an illusion of action?
The role of charity is to get people in the community involved. It is for people to see what is going on around them and get them out of their safe havens and see what is going on. I used to volunteer at the school, for Thanksgiving we would do a food drive and bring in people off the streets for a free turkey dinners. When we were in the bistro we cooked over fourty turkies, we had a clothing drive, food drive, and many other things. We also did it for Christmas.
So charity is not an illusion it’s to make people forget what’s going on in their lives and help others out with their own. You get a sense of what other’s are going through and you try your best to help them out. Community involvement is always good. The more the community is involved the more the community can help.
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A.Cinerari, at 5:59 p.m.
I have to agree with both Afush and Adrea. In Newmarket, there was a guy who would wait by one of the Tim Hortons and would beg and plead for money. He just sat there in rags, he would get pennies and what not but finally people realized. This guy had millions of dollars in pretending to be homeless. He was being lazy because he didn't want to work. So it might be that some people are lazy, but most people can't afford anything and might have disabilities or mental problems and can't help but be homeless because there's nothing they can do.
I had this friend, she and her boyfriend were living in her dad's home but finally after several things happened she told her dad if her boyfriend moves out so will she. Well.. After the last straw of abuse and her and him getting kicked out of the house. She moved in with her aunt and started to pay rent there and her boyfriend ended up in a shelter because he had no job and no money; she was working and paying for everything not him.
The shelter told him if he could get a job they would offer him housing and all he would have to do is pay rent.. That didn't work and finally my friend was fed up because she was letting him live off of her. It wasn't that he was incapable of working he was just too lazy and didn't want to find a job. She finally left him and he either goes from friend to friend now and sometimes lives in the shelter.
So there's another example of laziness.
But homelessness is not just the case of laziness. (Yes I have another story..)
Another friend of mine from high school, she left her house because of abuse to her. Her mom didn't care about anything, just herself and where she lives wasn't the greatest area because it is Metro housing (Or another housing department.. Not so sure anymore). She went around friend to friend because she was homeless and didn't want to go home and suffer abuse. She had to drop a lot of classes and do things to make sure she had some sort of income, coming in and had to see where else she could go.
Sometimes no one can help you out.. Other times people don't want to help out. It's hard but I think Gail is right about how can the government give all this money away when there are so many people that are homeless?
I mean I know Metro Housing (I have an uncle who works in Metro Housing, and I know people who live in Metro housing in Toronto.) Is developing more houses and all that but even then it's expensive, but at least then people have homes and a roof over their head. If more people could get involved many then even more of the homeless can finally have a place to call home.
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A.Cinerari, at 6:16 p.m.
Wow, this is obviously a passionate discussion with varying degrees of opinions. Both sides make very valid points and I have personally seen both - those who are barely making it and are one pay cheque away from losing their homes and those who are 'working the system'. I am on the Board at our Co-op and we have had to evict members and it is a really hard decision to make. These people are our neighbours. We bend over backwards first to come up with payment plans or Security of Tenure, but sometimes they just do not want to pay their housing charges. We have to go to Superior Court for our evictions and the bottom line (agreeing with Greg's comment) is we are running a business. We have a budget to maintain. If we let people live here rent free, then all of our other members suffer with higher rents. Believe me when I say that there is many people who will do everything they can not to pay their housing charges, but there are those that are so appreciative for a subsidized unit when they get one. They are the ones that make it worthwhile.
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kellya, at 6:50 p.m.
Suzie made an excellent point, we all need to be thankful for how blessed we are, especially after reading some of your stories. I do not think homelessness can be attributed to only laziness. Those few that are like that, give the rest that reputation. I believe if you really looked at it, most of the homeless are the 'working poor'. The government needs to step up to the plate here. Which means we have to step up - they work for us. We can change what they do and how our tax dollars are put to work. None of us knows if we could be in this situation next.
I wonder if changing the legislation on illegal apartments would work though? I am wondering if the homeowners would then start getting greedy and raise their rents. Is their an easy answer? Judging by everyone's opinions, no!
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kellya, at 7:01 p.m.
In the dictionary the word problem is defined as, “ a doubtful or difficult matter requiring a solution”. Now does homelessness require a solution? Yes indeed it does. Is it a difficult matter? -not as difficult as some might want to believe it is. Several people have written in their comments that homelessness should not be an issue in our ever developed country we call Canada. But just as the articles mentioned, the issue is much deeper than the old man we see sitting outside the Timmy’s asking us to spare any change; it’s the fact that poverty exists and that we as a developed nation let this persist. It also boggles my mind how people tend to focus on how poor the rest of the world is and how much those in other nations are suffering. What about our people? Would you not say they are suffering just as much? They work just to make ends meet. These people are starving and must search day in and day out for a place to sleep a night. I think we can all agree that the streets are not fit for anyone to live amongst; they are unclean, and are lurking with disease and violence.
So once again what makes the poor less deserving of us Canadians? Is it because we don’t have commercials showing pictures of the adorable homeless children living downtown splattered on our television sets? Maybe the problem is that when we think of the homeless here in Canada we think of older people who perhaps had the chance to make a life for them selves but screwed it up. But I can guarantee that if we as Canadians saw more children physically on the streets asking us to spare some change perhaps then we would consider sponsoring someone close to home, instead of sponsoring those we don’t even really come in contact with. I’m not saying that we should forget about all the other people suffering in the world, but how hypocritical is it of us Canadians who want to go and fix the rest of the world when we can’t even fix our own side of the world.
Are there solutions to this problem?
Honestly, I think there is a solution to every problem. Doesn’t mean the problem is easy to fix. The suggestions that were laid out in the “Hidden Homelessness” article are definite solutions that every Canadian can take part in. Yes we’re busy, who in the world isn’t busy. But how can the world get fixed if we the people in it don’t help fix it. If you can’t spare the time to volunteer at a shelter or raise awareness in the community, then why not donate to a charity.
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J-Rod, at 7:21 p.m.
Also, all of this municipal zoning restrictions nonsense just upsets me. If I own a house I should be able to rent out my basement if I so choose to. I don’t understand how my basement as a rental unit could negatively harm the community. If I choose to help someone out by giving them shelter in return for rent, why should someone tell me that it can’t happen, and just continue to have people struggling to find a place to live? I don’t know, but that just sounds like cruelty to me. Why can’t we offer up what we have to lend a helping hand? Why is it that our governments rather shut people out, instead of letting them in? I believe that if the restrictions on basements changed, homelessness would be on its way out of our country. Are we not all human beings? Since when do you need to qualify to live in suburbia? Perhaps people think that if we let the less fortunate move in to basement apartments in the suburbs, they may also bring danger to those in the community. Let’s get real. Let’s not pretend that the people who can afford homes in suburbia are all “ideal citizens” without problems of their own. In suburbia we know nothing about our neighbours. So who’s to say Jack next door doesn’t have demons in his closet and serious problems of his own. I think the problem is the mentality of people who think they know it all and always expect to be completely comfortable in their own little bubble.
People need to grow up and realize that all these ideas we have about the homeless are just that- ideas. Like Greg said, how many of us really KNOW the homeless. Do we think we know them because we see them outside the subway stations? We are all too consumed with our own lives and problems to actually get to know the homeless. So how about we all stop making assumptions and just HELP. Help homelessness disappear. How? We can start by raising awareness, donating to charity, demanding change to our zoning restrictions, and also by knocking some sense into our governments.
Don’t you find that sometimes, the people who are closest to you are the people who you tend to take advantage of or neglect? This is how I feel we treat the poor in our country. We assume that people in other countries are worse off because their nations are not as developed as ours. But in turn we neglect those here close to home. These people are suffering tremendously, but all we continue to do is neglect them and pretend that the problem isn’t here. Canada is known as a peaceful nation…but how can it be peaceful when we are smack in the middle of the battle of homelessness.
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J-Rod, at 7:21 p.m.
Michael I could not agree more. Most people when they hear about a tax hike immediately raises a red flag. The truth is even though most of us feels strongly that the government is the key to solving homelessness , the TRUTH is that majority of us would whine if we hear that there will be a 4-5% increase over the next 5 years to build affordable housing.
Sebrina you said “The government needs to step up and use tax money wisely and put more funding into programs to help those in need of assistance.”
If this meant that your house, education, food etc. taxes would increase by a whopping 3-5%, would you still feel so strongly about the government playing such a role?
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 7:24 p.m.
After reading those articles, one really cannot say that homelessness is not a problem. Neither can we ignore the fact that the efforts of the government must be increased. On the other hand, like Iva I do believe that statistics can be grossly exaggerated. For this reason, I take them with a grain of salt. Likewise, we all know that secondary resources should be approached with CAUTION! The true cost of homelessness written by Gordon Laird of the Toronto Star is an example of such. It is Laird's opinion, hence room for bias. Further the statistics put forth requires authentication before I can readily believe all its contents.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 7:30 p.m.
As much as charities plays a huge role in helping to combat homelessness; they serve as only a temporary measure which means they are not the real solution. I do believe every individual has a role to play a role in eradicating homelessness. These roles need to be identified at all levels – from government to the homeless themselves. Once this is done, I think it could be a step towards helping the homelessness problem. For example if the government increased taxes, we as individuals could not be whiners. After all, most of us desire is to see a solution, and from most of the blogs, majority believes that the government is the solution. Once this is done, the homeless too have to play their part in enhancing their lives, providing they have the capacity to do so.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 8:00 p.m.
Homelessness is a real problem in today's society. For every homeless person we know that there are many more "hidden homeless." Governments seem unwilling to really do anything about it. There are only certain political parties that seem interested in homelessness, namely the NDP. The Liberals and Conservatives don't seem to pit homelessness at the top of their political agendas.
Landlord and tenant law can provide some solutions to these problems. One of the things they can do is eliminate restrictive zoning practises so people can rent out parts of their homes (basements) to help people locate affordable housing. Basements are cheaper to rent than regular apartments. Often people are faced with evictions if they get sick unexpectedly or miss work. Something needs to be established to help people if they find themselves in these situations. People should not lose their dwellings because they get sick or have some type of family emergency that keeps them away from work.
In terms of who the homeless are, articles tell us that children, women, newcomers, seniors and youth are the most susceptible to being homeless.
The role of charity is to give to those who need. Helping people out when they need it is not the sane as giving a person an opportunity to help themselves stay out of these situations for good.
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$$$$Richey Rich$$$$$$$$$$$$, at 8:41 p.m.
I agree with what Adrea said about government being the place to start when looking at how to improve life for the homeless. If government cared enough to spend less on themselves through expensive dinners and hefty paycheques. society may take them seriously when they say that they want to do something about the issue. I personally know people who have faced homelessness and when they have gone to various government agencies for help, they are told they are of legal age to work, so they need to get a job to pay their rent, without realizingthat employment is entirely dependant on the economy and if jobs are not available, that option is not there, and people end up homeless because they can't get the job to pay the rent and they can't get the help from the gov't agency who says, go get a job. Governments seem to be interested in helping the middle class and the upper middle class, more so than the working class. There are many working poor in today's society that are always a paycheque away from homelessness. Dalton McGuinty's rise of the minimum wage was a nice gesture, but it's not enough. They need to put their money where their mouth is. Extra money also needs to be put into social programs such as funding for the mentally ill and people with substance abuse problems, because money was taken out of these programs during the Harris years and this resulted in homelessness becoming more of an issue then it ever was.
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$$$$Richey Rich$$$$$$$$$$$$, at 8:51 p.m.
Homelessness is a very real and serious issue today. Although individuals have made great strides towards abolishing poverty, the government is the only real source capable of eliminating homelessness. They have all the control over infrastructure and planning, and therefore have the rights to building these shelters and rental spaces. The people can only do so much. A solution to maximize the amount of housing for people of all incomes is by creating more subsidized housing in all municipalities. Each municipality should be required to have at least one subsidized pocket or area. By creating more subsidized areas, people will be kept off the streets and can rely on this help if in desperate need. Only low-income families should be approved for this assistance to make sure ones who really need it are getting it and others are not taking advantage to get cheaper rent. I believe that many of the solutions listed in the “hiding for homeless” article are great stepping stones to the problem and are very possible. They are solutions in which everyone can do and a great way to make everyone aware of how realistic this problem really is. Getting groups of people from different neighbourhoods would influence other municipalities and have a better chance of spreading nationwide. In regards to the Landlord and Tenant Act, I do believe that we should ease the restrictions on laws for basement apartments by making it easier to change municipal zoning . As long as it is made to be safe and can be approved by a fire department, there is no reason to eliminate all of this possible cheap rental space, and it would save the government from spending and increasing taxes. I do believe in some cases they want the poor out of suburbia because of the community status. However, we should not avoid the situation just for the “neighbourhood status,” everyone is aware there are people struggling and by seeing this problem firsthand it will also encourage people to do something about. It also provides a great way to get people back on their feet.
In many cases, homelessness usually happens to people who are in fact very hard working and the opposite of lazy. It happens to people who work everyday, take on extra hours and extra jobs to make sure they can support their families. It is evident through findings and statistics that causes relate mainly to economic times. For example, during times of recession poverty increased greatly, this is not because of utter laziness but because of rising inflation, rising costs, loss of jobs etc. Another example being mental illness, which is a huge cause and is not looked at enough. Again, a majority of cases relate to people with mental health conditions who do not have the support of others and are incapable of helping themselves. These conditions are problems that are beyond a persons control. The government can help by funding lobby groups and making the public more aware of mental illness or helping with coverage and benefits for people who do not have it with this type of health care.
There is too much evidence through past cases of poverty that point to causes unrelated to laziness, of course not to say there isn't the odd case of laziness.
I do believe that many of the government funded organizations do give the illusion of aiding the homeless just to take credit for taking care of the problem. In many instances charitable organizations funded by governments will fund just for the reason of appearing as though they are taking the initiative to the rising problem when really they are only maintaining the problem. They do not aid but contribute to the rising of homelessness because tax rates rise in order to maintain these organizations. Thus, leading to people being unable to afford taxes on housing. Personally, I believe that the true acts of aiding are from privately funded organizations who willingly put their own money and time to promoting awareness of the problem and finding ways to abolish it.
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Krissy, at 9:27 p.m.
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
I personally feel that homelessness is a major problem, that isn’t given as much attention as it deserves. I consider homelessness to be a serious problem that seems to be increasing rapidly.
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
Some of the solutions within the scope of the landlord and tenant law include, not evicting an individual who is paying rent late, because at least the landlord is receiving money from the tenant, who my be struggling with bringing in income. Also, if landlords weren't allowed to evict a tenant because one/ two months rent has not been payed or something. Then it would give tenants some flexibility in trying to catch up on unpaid rent. This may help decrease the amount of homeless people. Having more affordable housing available, will greatly decrease the amount of people left homeless.
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
I don't think that any of the suggestions in the article, appeal directly to me. I think that the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article are great because, in a way they significantly help promote public awareness on some certain issues. Also, i think that if the government didn't implement so many restrictions, on zoning by-laws, then more basements would be available to rent. I really think that if the government eases these particular restrictions, than it will help positively benefit the homeless. I kind of think that the concern is more likely related to trying to protect tenants from substandard accommodation rather than trying and keeping "those people" out of Suburbia.
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
I think that the homeless in some circumstances are the lazy bums on the streets, who are high school drop-outs, who never worked for anything in life, that want everything to be handed to them, and just enjoy complaining and blaming other minor events in their life, and claiming that’s what held them back from success. On the other hand, I also feel that in many circumstances, the homeless are people who are unemployed, new to the country, suffering from mental/physical disabilities. I think that some individual, are not at fault, because uncontrollable events have taken place in there lives, for example, because of the recession people have gotten layoffs. This has impacted family's negatively, leaving them unable to support themselves.
5. What is the role of charity? May charity sometimes create an illusion of action? Consider the following. During the winter, I volunteer at a homeless shelter in Newmarket, called Inn From the Cold. Several municipal politicians are also volunteers. I believe what I am doing is worthwhile but I wonder whether this is a real solution. The shelter is only open on Thursdays to Mondays from December to the end of March. It does open on other days if the temperature goes below -15 degrees. I am hoping that this year it will be open 7 days a week but it will still not be open all year. In the end, it remains a shelter, not a home.
The role of a charity, is to provide non-profit services to the less fortunate in a particular community. It is their job to reach out to those in need, and inform them of the services that are available to them, free of charge. Yes, it can create an illusion of action, because it is important for society to realize that this is not a solution to the ever growing problem, in fact it is just a temporary effort by particular individuals. There is no permanent results that are going to come out of these charity's, they are just providing temporary relief to homeless family's.
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Afush Khan, at 9:53 p.m.
Homelessness
Homelessness is a real problem not only in Canada but all over the world. The cost of homelessness is extremely high comparing to other costs supported by the government. How can a homeless cost more than a correctional facility for adults? If we think about all the costs behind the homelessness, we will find out that it is not only a question of building more new emergency shelters beds or to increase the number of diary meals. The problem has deep roots which should be solved by all levels of Canadian Government.
Unfortunately there is no real effort to stop the housing crisis in Canada. As stated by Parkdale Community Legal Services:"When welfare rates are cut and tenant protection is weakened, people become homeless". Also many homeless are families that were forced to flee their countries because of war of economic conditions. Workers become homeless because they cannot afford a decent place to live while feeding their families. The private rental market and the Canadian housing price are very high and all levels of Government have shown a lack of interest in providing affordable housing for low-income Canadians.
According to the articles, homeless are tenants who were evicted for not being able to afford their rents anymore; also, refugees and immigrants who left their countries because of war, human rights violations or economic conditions. Unfortunately, children, young people and seniors are also facing homelessness.
I have worked in legal clinics in Sao Paulo, Brazil helping low-income people and assisting them with landlord and tenant issues, employment, contracts, etc. In the majority of cases, their problems were beyond their control. They faced very poor living conditions and problems such as eviction, flooding, lack of vital services, illegal raise of rents, etc. I do believe that there are lazy people among the homeless but they are the exception rather than the norm.
The role of charity is to take immediate actions such as to provide temporary shelters, food, clothes and other basic necessities to homeless people. They cannot be responsible for solving the problems themselves and their help won't have a long term effect; however, they play a very important role when dealing with homelessness.
As stated by Gordon Laird from thestar.com, Canada in 2007 collectively spent more managing homelessness that on international development or on annual debt reduction. Thus, homelessness diverts money that could be used in education, health, transport and others. Government should develop affordable housing strategy for low-income families and "municipalities must reform their zoning by-law to allow for basement suites". Citizens could volunteer with an organization to help homeless people in their community. Another solution would be to change the Landlord and Tenant law in order to make it more fair. Maybe some more options should be given to the tenants to avoid eviction such as longer deadlines.
On the other hand we should also think about the landlord situation. Many of them need the rent to pay their expenses and mortgage, making it possible to them to afford their own house. Even though they are in a better situation than the tenants, their rights should also be respected. My suggestion would be the extension of deadlines for the eviction. "Hidden Homelessness" article presents ten suggestions to help mitigate homelessness and some of them are very appealing to me such as numbers 3 and 7. If municipalities change their zoning restrictions and allow homeowners to create apartments or second suites in their houses, it would help low-income Canadians because this form of accommodation is less expensive. Also, citizens should advocate for more affordable housing in their community.
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Fernanda Welzel Lourenco, at 9:55 p.m.
Homelessness
Homelessness is a real problem not only in Canada but all over the world. The cost of homelessness is extremely high comparing to other costs supported by the government. How can a homeless cost more than a correctional facility for adults? If we think about all the costs behind the homelessness, we will find out that it is not only a question of building more new emergency shelters beds or to increase the number of diary meals. The problem has deep roots which should be solved by all levels of Canadian Government.
Unfortunately there is no real effort to stop the housing crisis in Canada. As stated by Parkdale Community Legal Services:"When welfare rates are cut and tenant protection is weakened, people become homeless". Also many homeless are families that were forced to flee their countries because of war of economic conditions. Workers become homeless because they cannot afford a decent place to live while feeding their families. The private rental market and the Canadian housing price are very high and all levels of Government have shown a lack of interest in providing affordable housing for low-income Canadians.
According to the articles, homeless are tenants who were evicted for not being able to afford their rents anymore; also, refugees and immigrants who left their countries because of war, human rights violations or economic conditions. Unfortunately, children, young people and seniors are also facing homelessness.
I have worked in legal clinics in Sao Paulo, Brazil helping low-income people and assisting them with landlord and tenant issues, employment, contracts, etc. In the majority of cases, their problems were beyond their control. They faced very poor living conditions and problems such as eviction, flooding, lack of vital services, illegal raise of rents, etc. I do believe that there are lazy people among the homeless but they are the exception rather than the norm.
The role of charity is to take immediate actions such as to provide temporary shelters, food, clothes and other basic necessities to homeless people. They cannot be responsible for solving the problems themselves and their help won't have a long term effect; however, they play a very important role when dealing with homelessness.
As stated by Gordon Laird from thestar.com, Canada in 2007 collectively spent more managing homelessness that on international development or on annual debt reduction. Thus, homelessness diverts money that could be used in education, health, transport and others. Government should develop affordable housing strategy for low-income families and "municipalities must reform their zoning by-law to allow for basement suites". Citizens could volunteer with an organization to help homeless people in their community. Another solution would be to change the Landlord and Tenant law in order to make it more fair. Maybe some more options should be given to the tenants to avoid eviction such as longer deadlines.
On the other hand we should also think about the landlord situation. Many of them need the rent to pay their expenses and mortgage, making it possible to them to afford their own house. Even though they are in a better situation than the tenants, their rights should also be respected. My suggestion would be the extension of deadlines for the eviction. "Hidden Homelessness" article presents ten suggestions to help mitigate homelessness and some of them are very appealing to me such as numbers 3 and 7. If municipalities change their zoning restrictions and allow homeowners to create apartments or second suites in their houses, it would help low-income Canadians because this form of accommodation is less expensive. Also, citizens should advocate for more affordable housing in their community.
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Fernanda Welzel Lourenco, at 9:56 p.m.
I wanted to comment on Iva’s blog. First, I don’t agree with you at all. I don’t think the majority of homeless are homeless by choice. Don’t get me wrong there are people who do take advantage of the system; however, I don’t think this should be a blanket stereotype that should be put on an entire group of people. Everyone’s situation is different and every circumstance is different. The gap between the rich and poor is increasing rapidly. Many of those in positions of power, mainly the upper class are of a certain group. I do agree when you say stats can be manipulated to suit your interest, but the fact remains that homelessness is a problem and I know this for a fact because I see it for myself. The problem is that in a country such as Canada, there shouldn’t be people living on the streets, but the fact remains there are. Pretending its not there is not the solution. In history, many there was a time where certain groups of people were not considered people and as a result were subject to inhumane and degrading treatment. There was an assumption that “these people” choose to be less fortunate by being born into a race, raised with a certain religious faith, or associate with a certain type of organization or group. While today, some of theses areas are by choice many are not. I know the struggles of making ends meet and I know I would never choose to be homeless; however if my house burnt down and I couldn’t afford insurance to cover it and had no family I could stay with, I would be homeless. How would that me my choice?
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Sebrina, at 12:20 a.m.
Wow I just checked in to the latest postings and I am floored!!! This is wonderful. I love that everyone is speaking freely. There are a few people I totally disagree with but you guys have made some great points.
I can see that some people are obviously very passionate and convinced that homeless people are just"lazy"..I still remain resolute with my question about children being a part of the homelessness population. What are we doing? My heart is indeed bleeding.
Our government is flawed. Being in the legal profession this is evident. I agree with Greg and Kelly that landlords have a business to run.They too have to pay bills and put food on the table. There is no question of that.
Enter the suggestion of building more habitat for humanity homes.
What I do not agree with is that the politicians I voted for are able to wine and dine extravagantly on my tax dollars, while children are going without a roof over their heads in my native country. Some will suggest that we have no right to look to our government, I disagree whole heartedly. I have no issue with paying taxes to live in this wonderful country. I do have an issue if that money is not being spent for the greater good of humanity. No child should have to fear homelessness. Not in this country. I have included an excerpt from the declaration Canada agreed to in 2002 at the UN special session for children.
"Canada's participation in the Special Session on Children
The government of Canada, on behalf of all Canadians, will join other nations in signing the UN Declaration "A World Fit for Children". Many Heads of State will attend. As a signatory, Canada's governments are obligated to develop a national plan to implement the "World Fit for Children" Declaration and to ensure that children's best interests are primary considerations for governments.
Following are links to useful documents regarding the Special Session on Children and Canada's participation in this important event as well as related United Nations protocols regarding children."
Recently Canada has been accused of not keeping thier promise to the UN. I guess they decided the children were just lazy too.
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Rebecca, at 12:42 a.m.
Adrea, I hear what your saying and its very difficult to determine who the scammers are and who legitimately needs help. I still think it goes back to the government. There is a responsibility for the government to take action. In regards to your comment about raising my taxes and tuition to pay for such necessities as affordable housing I wouldn’t want that because I can barely afford my current situation. If living expenses continue to rise I’m sure many of us would be borderline. I believe the government needs to restructure and re-allocate funds to the appropriate areas to aid this problem. I think the money is already there; it’s just in the pockets of the wrong people, so I don’t see why people who are in the middle to lower class tax brackets should pay more when we make less. The restructuring needs to either come from the top down or the bottom up. I think the only way the bottom up solution can work is if there are large numbers. The power is in numbers and if the numbers don’t speak volumes, no one listens.
I understand the business concept behind being a landlord. I understand there are expenses that have to be paid and it causes hardship when tenants don’t pay there rent; however, I still stand behind my point that the government needs to be more active. There should be some sort of landlord allowance the government provides to accommodate landlords when they’re in situations of hardship due to increased maintenance expenses if it can be shown. This is just a vague suggestion and I’ve never been a landlord so my perspective is not founded on experience or knowledge in that area, but I do think there should be more assistance to landlords as well. When the cost of living increases it doesn’t just effect the tenant.
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Sebrina, at 12:42 a.m.
GET WELL SOON, ADREA - JAMAICAN QUEEN!
I refuse to categorize the homeless. I steadfastly stand by my words --the homeless are insatiable tapeworms –if caution is not taken, they will suck this nation dry.
The discussions I have read so far, although well written and sympathetic to the plight of the homeless, have convinced me that even the people, who are too willing to spank the government for lack of action expect very little action from the people who needs to fight for a better station in society.
Although some of the discussions jump on
The general consensus, I have deduced from this discussions, is that the homeless are lazy (as categorized). This band-wagon has no recommendation for how to make the transformation of the homeless depraved lives a priority for them. The only solutions I’ve read still demands more from others including government services funded by tax payers; charitable organizations’ services funded by benevolent citizens and even rent reduction on apartments by lowly Landlords who have worked hard for what’s theirs. How can we solve a problem when the people involved are too lazy to admit there is one to be solved? The only people raising their voices are sanctimonious do-gooders who scream and, perhaps, once a year take an hour off their holiday intemperance to serve bowls of soups to the homeless, just so they can feel better about their lives.
I have more empathy for sick and abused animals, than for the …well you know who. Until someone has better solutions that expressly involve the homeless helping themselves, I will continue to advocate that they be left to fend for themselves. Others have successfully done so, why can’t they.
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iva.uwana, at 2:31 a.m.
J-Rod as much as I agree with you about the stringent municipal zoning restrictions, I would also urge you to look at the other side. Without these restrictions there could be more issues. For example some basements are not properly equipped should there be a fire. As a result, fire fatalities could increase. On the other hand, I do believe that the municipalities need to lessen the restrictions and the costs associated with such. This could of course help to assist those homeless that are truly in need of assistance, and by this I mean the ones that are not “PRETENDERS”, and will assist in enhancing their lives providing they are in the capacity to do so.
For an improvement in municipal zoning restrictions, it requires the government’s approval…there we go again the government!!!! Clearly the efforts of the government in more ways than one must be increased to help the homeless.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 9:20 a.m.
WOW!! You are either for or against. First, I would like to ask those of you who really feel the homeless are parasites in our society, if you've ever went to a Soup Kitchen, or a Foodbank or one of these places to actually talk with a genuine homeless person. It appears to me that some of us have a severe misunderstanding of who are these mysterious homeless people. When Mike Harris was the premier of Ontario he had the same misunderstanding of welfare recipients. So, to make sure no one ripped off the government, he just cut and slash social programs. What we are seeing today is just one of the by-products of this kind of heartless policy.
We all know there will be people who will try to take advantage of any situation, and social programs are just like any other. We can take a look at Wall Street and Bay Street, and we can see a clear example of this happening. However, let us ask ourselves this question, “Is it right to withhold charity to those in need, so we can punish the greedy?” or “Is it right to punish those in need, just to make sure we don’t get ripped off by the crooks.” Depending on your answer, this will define our society. This is what we really are, not what we profess to be.
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Unknown, at 11:14 a.m.
1. Oh yes, definitely, homelessness is a growing and very real problem, just ask someone who has gone through it, is going through it, or has come close to experiencing it. Then there is the invisible 80% of homeless that have a roof over their head, but not their own roof [that is unless it is their own car]; that statistic is very eye-opening to the extent of the problem. I have come very close too experiencing it as well JLEE (more than once), living in a motel briefly on two occasions as well. As Greg was bringing up; how many of us really know that much about the homeless or homelessness? It is hard to understand something and be empathetic towards it, when for the most part it is unnoticed and/or ignored by society, as homelessness and homeless people usually are. You could say that we are all conforming to the attitude our government has towards the homeless. This package on homelessness that we have all been provided with is very enlightening, as well as alarming.
2 & 3. I believe that the solutions to homelessness will not come from adjustments to the landlord and tenant law. The solutions need to come from changing Bill 20 back to something along the lines of Bill 120, making two dwelling units legal throughout Ontario. We do also need the units to have the safety inspections to ensure that tenants are safe in these units. Another excellent idea that I learned of from the provided information is for the government to come up with programs to make home ownership possible for people that are only able to rent, possibly interest free loans (or grants) to renters that can prove good standing with landlords for a considerable length of time (years). This along with making two-dwelling unit’s legal across Ontario or even Canada would make a huge difference. Instead of asking on tax returns whether you wish to donate your refund to Canada’s Debt, maybe the recipient of the donated refunds should be homeless programs, but homeless programs that truly begin to elevate the problem. Let the government get their own act together budget wise.
I believe that the zoning by-law restrictions are to keep people out of suburbia, because safety issues can be, and are still addressed, with legal basement apartments, since 1995/1996.
4. I believe that the majority are disadvantaged people and the 80% of homeless who have pride and don’t whine about their situation; they are embarrassed to even speak of it. The lazy people who should get a job and/or help for their social problems (addictions etc.) make up a small percentage of the homeless.
5. The role of charity is to help those in need by giving help, such as food, money, shelter... and to have a kindly attitude towards humanity. Charitable organizations can sometimes create an illusion that they are not caring, by not meeting their goals or failing to try hard enough. Charitable organizations can also be fraudulent too, but many times they do not have the funding (grants, donations) to provide as much help as they would like. I believe people that are doing a little to help, no matter how little, are doing a lot. After doing this assignment, it has awoken my desire to help, finding the time is the problem but I am working on that; I have many things that are on hold due to my own personal issues in life.
By
Jamie, at 11:48 a.m.
canoedthelake = Jamie
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Jamie, at 11:51 a.m.
Here is a site that may be of interest to some, it is on a national level. I have been a supporter of many of their issues for at least a couple of years. They make it very understandable, and easy to have your voice heard (worth checking out at least).
makepovertyhistory.ca
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Jamie, at 12:08 p.m.
1. Homelessness is a real problem and it has becoming an even bigger problem, since fewer jobs are available out there. I do not understand how so many individuals are without a home, when Canada is known to be one of the best countries to live in; however we have people sleeping in cardboard boxes. We need to wake up and realize that this is a big issue and that it affects us all because at any given moment one of us could end up in that situation.
2. I do not think that the landlord and tenant law plays a part in this issue, because the whole reason some people are homeless is because they cannot afford market rent. The landlord and tenant law only applies to those who are in a middle class group, not those of a low income group. The fact of the matter is that this goes beyond the landlord and tenant law, the only people who have a say on this problem is the people with power. So the leaders of this country need to step in.
3. Hidden homelessness has some help full tips on how we could help as a society to make a difference, however there is still a lot more work to be done. As a single mother who lives on her own with her children, I can tell you that finding an apartment out there is not easy. When trying to find a place to live you need to go through a very long and hard procedure. If you do not make a certain amount of money, or if you are on welfare and even if you are a student, the chances of you getting an apartment are very low. The funny thing is these apartments are not even that great, some might be infested with mice and roaches. If it is so hard for me to find an apartment, I could only imagine what a person who is homeless has to go through. I feel that easing the restriction on basement apartments would help the homeless, because it would get them off the streets.
4. Anyone can become homeless at anytime; all that need to happen is for something major to go wrong in your life.
5. The role of charity is to help out those who cannot help themselves, by providing different kind of services to help out those in need. Most charities provide food, clothing, and 1 or 2 night’s shelter on the coldest nights, but overall that is not enough. I feel that it does create an illusion because these places can only do so much. The problem still remains a growing issue.
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Unknown, at 12:51 p.m.
What i don't understand is why the government is so worried about restricting parts of a home... so tenants are unable to purchase this area when everyone wants the homeless off the streets. As long as the tenant will be safe and are able to enter and exit someway and somehow safely, why can they not rent the section of the home? such as a basement? Obviously the less money you want to pay the less your going to get. If they really cared about homeless people and how cold and hungry they really are they would allow these people to live in someones basement or garage or room.. where ever they can afford im sure they will be fine with it. Aslong as the tenants and landlord do not have a problem why can't this happen? Even if they are just using the space to sleep it's better then them sleeping on the streets. If i was homeless i wouldn't mind paying a cheap price to stick a bed in someone's garage that wasn't being used by other tenants or the landlord? I'd be happy that i had something comfortable to sleep on and a bit warmer? I understand some laws need to be made, but we must be reasonable with making these laws and regulations. If you really want these homeless families out from the streets we need to create more laws that are friendly to the homeless, landlords and tenants. Not just tenants and landlords.
I refer to homeless people as anyone who does not have a home. Someone can have 50 dollars a month and still be homeless... because there is no space you can purchase that is 50 dollars a month.
I also do think some homeless people are lazy and have just given up all hope and faith that they really can change their lives around. What we can do is create jobs provided by cities that homeless people can go out and work to make a bit of money that they can have to provide necessities for themselves and their families. Jobs they can give the homeless is.... cleaning garbage, washing windows and more things that do not require skills they might not have. There can be places around different areas that people can visit and see if any jobs need to be done, and then they can do the jobs and report back to the center where they can receive cash for their work. This can help them build up their experience and help to provide for their families because they will receive some income. Also another resolution can be is having volunteers help to build shelters or homes for these homeless people where they can rent for a cheaper price then landlords would give.
And i agree with a comment someone posted earlier about not minding to pay for taxes in canada, just we need to use the tax money in better places...how about rotating every year where the money is going so that not all our tax money is going to one spot and leaving other things such as those in poverty left behind with nothing. I really think government funded money for students should be looked over because i know many students or "people who call themselves students" use their osap money for stuff that has nothing to do with school! which i think is disgusting because that money can go other places where it will be used properly!
We just need to be more creative and think more in the shoes of the less fortunate if we really want this disease to go away.!!
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Jessica ditrapani*, at 6:03 p.m.
Also i was just informed about Subsidized housing. Which is geared towards people who have low income and cannot afford regular " so called affordable housing " People who apply to subsidized housing wait on a list for about 5-7 years to finally receive this home. When you are on ontario works you receive roughly 542 dollars a month. So where would you find a house that is 450 dollars a month that is safe and secure? What we can do is create more subsidizing housing which is affordable for the welfare.
read this, it was done by my sister in-law when she was working at the salvation army as a cordinator of hospital shelter working group in hamilton.
"This report is a very preliminary glance at the issues people experiencing
homelessness and health problems in Hamilton are facing. The alliance that has
been built between the hospital and shelter systems is strong. Both systems
recognize the challenges in providing effective health care to this very vulnerable
population."
THE LINK IS:
http://www.sprc.hamilton.on.ca/Reports/pdf/HSWG.pdf
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Jessica ditrapani*, at 6:24 p.m.
1)Yes homelessness is a real problem not only in Canada but all over the world. It is a real problem for the society, public and also can create a big problem and issues for the government. it is like a disease to the society. Homeless people are beyond the control of the government and they do all the bad things for example drugs, prostitution, theft and many more. Homeless people are depressed and can harm anyone without any reason. A lot of homeless choose to stay homeless because they do not want to work and they do not want to come out of the crisis. They also do not want to live normally like other people in society.
2)To resolve this matter the government and NGOs should work together to provide homeless people a shelter. Homeless people who are sick or ill should be hospitalized according to their diseases and the people which are healthy the government should train them in different field where they can get a job and become capable enough to buy or rent a house.
It is a very big problem for the landlord, when the tenant do not pay the rent and the landlord has to pay mortgage and bills to carry the property. Therefore many tenants can get kicked out and become homeless. It is big problem for the landlord to evict because most of the law favors the tenant.
3)Though it is a governments duty to provide homeless people shelter but it is difficult to do it alone. I agree with the suggestion in the "Hidden Homelessness" article where it says that support the work of raising the roof, Canada's national homelessness charity, by making the nation. yes easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless.
4)Homeless people are the lazy people who should get a job. The only solution for this problem would be to get good education. Many homeless people are high school drop-outs, drug addicts and mentally ill.
5)Yes charity sometimes creates an illusion of action. i agree with rupi_s87 where she commented: because as stated in the article “Hidden Homeless” most of the homeless community is not visible. i agree with her because if the problem is not shown a lot of people will not come to help. The purpose of charity is to help poor and homeless people.
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Huma Ahmad, at 8:13 p.m.
I am sorry but like I said before not all homeless people are lazy, there are a few. We really don't know what their situation was prior to them becoming homeless. A lot of people that are homeless are because they are disabled and or mentally ill. I know this, for a fact. I have seen so many people that do have a disability and or mental illness. CAMH is one place where you do find people that are homeless and are addicts or even mentally ill. I also have donated my time to shelters, and it's amazing the stories you hear from these people on who they got there. These are human beings just like you and I who did have a job at one point in life, lost their job, lost their home and had no family to go too.
Now are there people out there who do take advantage of the system? Well, yes. Some just don't want to bother to clean themselves up and get a job and get back on their feet. What do we do about them? I don't know. We cannot label everyone as Lazy! It's not fair to those who really are ill and disabled and are not able to take care of themselves and some don't even have families where they can turn too.
I do agree that the government needs to do more, as I mentioned before, if you’re going to make us pay taxes then why not use it to make a difference. Build an institution for the disable and mentally ill, so that they have a place they can call home.
Now does my heart bleed? Well yes! Because I have had someone close to me that was mentally ill, no one really knew until it was too late. He stopped contacting us, and then one day I get this phone call. I was told that he had been found, homeless and mentally ill. This is a person who had a home, wife, and a good job. Then one day he lost it all, does that make him lazy? It’s was something out of his control.
To be honest, I don’t think we can fully understand it completely unless we have experienced it ourselves or have had someone close to us that has experienced it at one point in their lives. Before we label them all lazy, why not take the time and check out those facilities and observe or study the homeless people. You would be amazed to what you learn.
I do find it hard to help those are just greedy, as they are capable to make a life for themselves and not take advantage of us.I do get upset, and I ask why can't you pick yourself up?
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Leroux, at 9:45 p.m.
In regards to the woman getting dropped off by her son, and begging here's a high ^5. That is entreprenuerial. She isn't taking a job, she is creating her own income. She isn't living off the Social Assistance, she is hustling. She is not lazy, she wears rags, and plays a part, perhaps she is a Busker. Who else can I see in my magic mirror?
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TraceyTraceyTracey, at 9:49 p.m.
Leroux: Couldn't agree more, nice to see someone who has some insight to the real world!*hug*
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TraceyTraceyTracey, at 9:52 p.m.
From Meg Banks: In reference To Iva's comments: I respect your comments, but, how much interaction , or time spent, have you actually had with the homeless, to be able to speak from experience.
Suggested listening;
1) Joni Mitchell- Pave Paradise
2)Crosby,Stills,Nash and Young-OHIO,Our House,Wooden Ships, hell listen to the whole album.
3)Genesis: Ripples, Selling England By the Pound, or the whole album, by the same name.
4) Led Zeppelin- When The Levy Breaks
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Megan Banks, at 10:08 p.m.
RE: Leroux.
Nice to see you finally found your voice. This new found tool, can be very powerful,just use it accordingly. Your champion, Meg xoxxo
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Megan Banks, at 10:14 p.m.
M.Banks---Last comment!
I'm a true believer, that the best source of information comes from those that have first hand experience.
Do you take medical advice from someone that thinks they are a Doctor?
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Megan Banks, at 10:37 p.m.
Re: Rebecca-- from meg Banks...
If you related to that tune, please take the time to listen to the Original Leader of Genices, Peter Gabrial.
You will fall in love with a song called'BIKO". You may also appreciate 'Ripples' and Selling England by the Pound.the last two mentioned songs come from the Genisis Album called Selling England By The Pound.
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Megan Banks, at 10:45 p.m.
Biko, excellent tune Megan and here is another site.
Wow excellent views for the most part, talk about getting to know some of your classmates a little better or what. Amazing opinions, positively and very few negatively speaking.
Huma, well... you are a good person and a friend, but I think a little out of touch regarding homelessness.
Here is another site that may be of interest, definitely worth checking out.
http://www.canadian-charities.com/Donors.aspx
I am not canoedthelake any longer, just Jamie.
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Jamie, at 10:57 p.m.
To answer your question Megan, yes I have met a few who seemed to derive pleasure in that role. I don’t have a problem with that as long as they are taking care of their needs without hollering for others to foot the bill.
Tracy, right on babe!
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iva.uwana, at 1:22 a.m.
Scammers would be the People who choose to have 6 babies, by 6 different Fathers, and live on 45G a yr in Social Assistance, somehow, the homeless scammers havent put this together yet. Maybe, they are lacking the mental capacity, to really scam the system.
There are many students scamming OSAP, by being dishonest They have the ability to be dishonest. Are they better then the honest homeless person? Depends on your principles if you have any. I say get all the multi-breeders off the social assistance, and put them on the street, their offspring will likley be scammers too! Give the homeless their reduced rental units. Let's put the shoe on the other foot. The world is full of scammers, there will always be more evil then good.People who want something for nothing. However, that being said, I know that it doesn't apply to a majority of the homeless.
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TraceyTraceyTracey, at 7:45 a.m.
Want another great tune if you can find it....anything goes, by pirates of the mississippi!
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TraceyTraceyTracey, at 8:32 a.m.
Re: Tracy, Tracy, Tracy:
That is an excellent point; is that really what a mother with six babies would get on social assistance? My opinion though is that a scammer doing that is on the same level as a successful homeless scammer. They both should be supporting themselves by working or doing things to make themselves employable, not scamming tax-payer dollars or playing on our heart-strings, respectively speaking. That said, I am only speaking of the ones on social assistance that are scamming the system, some need the temporary help, but no need for that help to be permanent in many cases (men and women included). I don't have a problem with helping homeless people; I just hate it when people choose to beg instead of doing anything else, especially when they are of able body and mind. Those kind of people can suffer and suffer and suffer till they die or smarten-up, their children should never be treated like this.
That scamming homeless lady (“shaky lady”) [despicable human-being] spoken of earlier in the blog did not even have the disability that she used to play people. She got dropped-off and picked-up by her son in a nice car, at the end of the day they would go home to their luxuriously appointed apartment or condominium (plasma TV, leather furniture...). That person and people like her should have a tattoo on her head saying “scammer’.
Children should never be put on the street though! We all know our society needs better help and that includes the homeless too, but through programs that work to make the problems better. I was known as “canoedthelake” earlier on in the blog, just in case you want to check out my suggestions and opinions. All these different views definitely make one think in more depth.
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Jamie, at 9:55 a.m.
RE: iva.uwana comment below
"The only people raising their voices are sanctimonious do-gooders who scream and, perhaps, once a year take an hour off their holiday intemperance to serve bowls of soups to the homeless, just so they can feel better about their lives."
I really believe this comment is befitting to a small percentage of people who help for publicity (politicians). There are many people who do the above [only out of the goodness of their heart] and many do it with family to teach their children well, out of a sincere deep devotion to God and /or a strong desire to help those less fortunate than themselves.
From Food for Thought:
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."~ Edmund Burke
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Jamie, at 10:35 a.m.
Oh yeah, and that's about all most of those politicians seem to do towards helping the homeless {hand them a plate of food and smile for the camera]
At least professional sports athletes that do this are usually involved in other excellent helpful programs as well.
Many people also make donations that are never heard of, very unselfish as well as a tax right-off too! That is a good way that the Government allows taxpayers to help the poor and themselves.
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Jamie, at 10:56 a.m.
Homelessness is a problem which has a social context, because it has consequences in the society. But it has a political, cultural, an economic context too. I think that the problem of homelessness is the social cost of the injustices or inadequate legislation in the society or a failure of the Social Controls. Social Controls are social mechanism to regulate individual and group behaviours. This social mechanism can be the law, the customs, the religion, the culture, and others.
I think the one of the solutions is a preventive politics in society. The politics can be developed by different institutions of the community, making projects of the work in a systematic way. I think the government or politicians have a big responsibility to take the initiative from the reality and promote these projects. Systematic way, I think that the work should be in different fields, for example in the field of education, the kids or teenagers should be prepared to deal with this kind of reality, giving information about the issues and their reasons. Because, I think that everybody has the right to choose what kind of life they want to have, but before it they should have the possibility to know about the options and the consequences. Another thing could be the work in the values on the society and in the field of the education, projects to prevent economic problems. Other options could be the application of the social values in a real Law or regulation in which this regulation develop a real way to prevent this situations, in which the tenants can know the consequences of their behaviours and in the same time the landlords too, in which both parties know and respect their rights and obligations. I think the law should provide a real protection to both parties, landlords and tenants, and balance the rights and responsibilities. Sometimes, when we read some regulations we can perceive in favour of what party was made the regulation, but I think the role of a real parliament is work for both parties without injustices or some particular interest. I was trying to find some section in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, which say something about this issue but I couldn’t found it.
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Unknown, at 12:02 p.m.
Tracey regarding your comment about the woman being dropped off by her son as being “entrepreneurial”. Yes she is creating her own income by pretending to be something she is not, while being DECEITFUL. Likewise, she is taking the hard earned money of people, some of which are struggling too, after which she returns to her big mansion. I don’t have a problem with people hustling, but don’t do so by living off the earnings of people, some of which who toil endlessly to make that first $.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 12:37 p.m.
Adrea - Jamaican Queen, glad to see that you are at least feeling well enough to comment. All the best to you and I enjoyed reading your previous comments too, they were totally straight-up and true.
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Jamie, at 1:08 p.m.
Re: Megan, Jamie, MQuelch, Lecroux
Kudos, Kudos and cheers!!! You guys are my heros!!Megan I am familiar with all listed with the exception of BIKO...made me return to the 80's..Ripples is fantastic live!!..Jamie that is one of my all time favorite quotes!!!Excellent points from all of you. I am enjoying this so much. I have to admit it been hard to stay mum and not react to some of threads but all of you handled it amazingly and clearly. Thank you for that.
Keep it up
**********
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Rebecca, at 1:32 p.m.
Re: Iva Comments
I just wanted to say thank you for your honest and candid views. It takes allot of "balls" to say what you think. I too could beat around the bush but I won't.
While I do not agree with your views you have every right to them. I have to admit you raised some excellent points. I respect and admire your conviction.
Labelling people as bleeding hearts, parasites, lazy and a host of many others adds nothing to those points but adds only to the contempt you express so eloquently in each posting.
I cannot say that I have much to offer by way of solution but I am eager to hear as many possibilities as I can. You may correct me if I am wrong. Certainly, there must be statistics on this... but I do not know of anyone personally, who has been to a shelter, of any sort, that ever leaves with a good feeling about themselves. There is a defeat in leaving and longing to have more money to give, more time, more answers so you can make an immediate change. You feel helpless. I do not know anyone who feeling helpless and defeated that truly feels good.
One of my very best friends in the world shares your views. One day we were downtown and a homeless man asked me for a cigarette.( please I know I know ppl smoking is bad). I happily obliged. She freaked out. Did I not see how dirty he was? Did I have to get so close? He could have snapped and killed me. He chose to be like that, why I should give him anything. She wound herself up so tight I thought at any minute she would explode. I calmly explained to her that I was fine. I told her I gave him something, simply, because he asked. I told her that if ever one day I was sitting on milk crate outside of Union Station filthy and worn, I hoped that someone would smile at me with no contempt or wrath. She said that I could never be like him. I told her you just never know. We don’t know.
Do I expect the government of Canada to solve all the world’s problems by way of a handout .No. I would lean more towards people gathering together to ask our government to do its job. To keep its promises and to recognize that there are problems to be addressed.
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Rebecca, at 2:44 p.m.
Well said Rebecca and thank you for all of your comments throughout the blog. I have always liked you... and known that you are an intelligent decent person.
I have never been part of a blog before. This one has proven to be addictive.
My respects to everyone!!
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Jamie, at 4:33 p.m.
So David Miller, Mayor of Toronto, has just announced that rather than giving the rate payers a refund on the money they paid during the strike, he is going to allocate the $33 million to various departments of the City of Toronto. No mention though of allocating some of it to build a shelter for the genuinely homeless. Way to go Miller! With a bit of luck you'll have your winshield scratched by one of the non-conforming squeegy kids.
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Unknown, at 4:44 p.m.
Lol Greg, everyone needs to tell him what to do with it before he blows it or it mysteriously disappears, but will they.
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Jamie, at 5:06 p.m.
Greg, I am not all surprised by the allocation of resources in such a manner. Clearly, the government does see the homeless plight as an urgent issue. It is for this reason why these and many problems will exist, unless of course people raise the roof and advocate for those who are “truly homeless”, and based on my previous blogs you all know to whom I refer as “TRULY HOMELESS”. Miller’s decision clearly shows that the allocation of $33 billion to various departments within the City of Toronto is of GREATER importance and much more URGENT than the homelessness in our society.
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Adrea - Jamaican Queen, at 5:52 p.m.
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
Homelessness is a real problem in Canada. There is a large sector of vulnerable people who are at serious risk of becoming homeless. The lenghthy list of eligible applicants for government housing attests that there are many families who cannot afford market prices for rent yet have no option but to pay the prices dictated by the landlords.
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
The fact that there are no rent controls gives the landlords the power to overcharge for apartments. Rent controls prevent price gouging from occurring and protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords. The landlord also has too many opportunities within the Act to terminate a lease whereas the tenant is legally bound by the lease for the period of time that it specifies. This Act gives landlords more power than it gives tenants protection.
3. Do any of the suggestions in the “Hidden Homelessness” article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep “those people” out of suburbia?
Residents of suburban neighbourhoods have been attempting to keep “certain kinds” of people excluded for a very long time. Unfortunately, the homeless are stereotyped. Basement apartments provide reasonable accommodations to people who, due to unemployment, bad credit or other reasons, are unable to find housing in buildings. Easing restrictions would therefore reduce homelessness as lower income families would have access to a wider variety of housing.
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
Homelessness may occur for a variety of reasons. Immigrants arrive in Canada constantly from across the globe. Many of them stay with family members and friends temporarily; however, these family members or friends may be unable to house them until they have reached the desired state of independence. They are then left homeless to figure out a means of survival in this new land.
Another group that experiences homelessness is women fleeing family violence. Depending on the municipality that they live in, abused women often receive priority for government subsidized housing on the condition that they relinquish the abusive relationship. While this offers a solution to the unfortunate situation of women staying with violent family members and exposing their children to hostility because they do not have anywhere to go, many vulnerable families are excluded from accessing this resource and are forced to pay market prices for rent.
Youth who come from unstable homes are also at risk of becoming homeless. As they turn to drugs and promiscuity to escape the pain of their reality, many youth are caught up in the cycle of poverty and abuse that they came from. Without the loving support of parents, they are often subject to a system that treats them as statistics instead of individuals.
By
Anonymous, at 7:04 p.m.
This comment has been removed by the author.
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Anonymous, at 7:18 p.m.
i agree with henderson82. many landlords discriminate against potential tenants due to income source, number of children, etc. this prevents many single mothers from finding suitable housing for their family and thus increases the risk of homelessness.i also agree with kellya who acknowledges that fixed incomes do not increase and inflation affects the poor. while some people may be guilty of abusing the system, there are lazy people everywhere and they should not be used as a justification to ignore those who are genuinely in need.
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Anonymous, at 7:43 p.m.
Adrea: she started out as poor, people gave out of empathy. She picked herself up, and reached a nice weekly income from her gig. Social Assistance would give her $580 a month, and if her son was under 18 close to $980. She would receive a CTC of $272. Not much to live on, but those who are lazy say "good enough". This creative Busker saw she made more money off begging then social assistance provided. Her first time asking a stranger for money wasn't a pride filled moment. People do far more for money like sell their sisters. Professionals feed off our hard earned dollars everyday. If it works for her, all the power to her. She is not physically harming anyone, she makes strangers feel a sense of goodness about themselves as they toss the bum a loonie. That is their choice to share their money or not. Don't knock the rag lady! She is still somebodies daughter, sister, mother, friend!
By
TraceyTraceyTracey, at 8:29 p.m.
1. Is homelessness a real problem?
Yes homelessness is real problem and will continue to be a real problem until; we as a community do more to fix this problem.
2. If real, what are the solutions, particularly those within the scope of landlord and tenant law?
For the past 20 years PCLS has been fighting illegal eviction attempts and harassment. There have been clinics to commemorate the lives of those who have died on the streets of Toronto. By getting this information out to the public more it can result in more help coming from the community. If people start to realize how many people there actually are on the street and how many people have died on the street than more people will be willing to help.
There are a few homeless shelters around this area, but not enough. Some are only open during the winter because we seem to think that it’s ok for people to live on the street during nicer weather. We need more homeless shelters all year round.
3. Do any of the suggestions in the ``Hidden Homelessness`` article appeal to you? In particular, would easing the restrictions on basement apartments help the homeless? These restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA and municipal zoning restrictions. Is the concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation or to keep ``those people`` out of suburbia?
It is true that our youth makes up a large portion of the homeless. This is because it is hard to find jobs for them and for their parents right now. If the parents can afford to take care of their children and young adults other problems can become a factor in the home. For example, if the parent(s) are stressed out then their parenting skills may become less and less due to the fact that they can`t handle the situation themselves. The children could be kicked out if they start misbehaving because of their parents or may chose to leave because there home and family live has become an uneasy place to be.
4. Who are the homeless? Lazy people who should get a job? Unfortunate victims of events beyond their control?
Homeless people are mostly people who have had problems in their life that were either beyond their control, they didn`t know who to get out of a situation or they may have been ``lazy`` for a shot period in their life which affected them in a long term way. People do not choose to be living on the street. Some may run away from home but in some cases living on the street may be better than living at home depending on the situation.
5. What is the role of charity? May Charity sometimes create an illusion of action? Consider the following.
The role of charity is to help people in need. But most of the time it only helps to an extent. Again I have to say that it is not fair that a shelter be open only during the winter and when the temperature goes below -15. People need a home to go to, not just a shelter. If people had a home to go to them more homeless people would have a better chance of getting a job or improving their life. No one is going to hire them if they do not have a home or an address. Homeless people need a place to go to the whole year not just when people feel bad enough for them because it is cold outside.
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JessAnions, at 10:28 p.m.
Homelessness is a real problem that infringe on a basic necessity and a fundamental human right which is a blatant violation of international human rights and is far more prevalent than what we see. Our government cutting income that helps the low income get affordable housing contributes to this problem. The issue of Homelessness is most importantly a problem of inadequate income to cover housing costs, especially for women and families with children.
I believe increasing the supply of rental housing is one solution necessary to combating homelessness within the guidelines of the Landlord and Tenant Act. Increasing the available rental housing should be a priority for the Ontario government. An income support program for housing would be a means of correcting the inequalities created by insufficient wages which ignores the financial realities of families. Creating a shelter allowance program is simply a means of adjusting the incomes of the most disadvantaged households in our society so that they can afford life’s necessities, such as shelter.
There is also the issue of discrimination keeping those from being able to rent affordable apartments. These folks are rejected by landlords because: they are on welfare; of their income; they have children; they lack a credit history, and they cannot provide a last month’s rent deposit, as a result, they are pushed into undesirable housing.
Any of the suggestions in the Hidden Homelessness would be a start to a bad situation. Easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless. It is a known fact that basement apartments whether legal or illegal are being rented at the benefit of the landlords and there is no reason to believe that this will cease to be the case in the future. Lining the pockets of landlords is a thing that will not be stopped, it should now be regulated. If regulated then the restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA” and municipal zoning restrictions would be lifted. I believe that there is a legitimate concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation and not to keep “those people” out of suburbia.
Just as in any other normal course of life situation there are those that will be likely to become homeless for what ever reason. I don’t think anyone would choose to be homeless. There are always extreme circumstances why a person has become homeless. It is certainly easy for others to judge another person, but not until we are in their situation will we understand.
Charities today are themselves going through hardship with donations coming in. Very few charities create an illusion; if this was the case, very soon or after a while they will not be around. Shelters are there to be just that, not a home. It is a short, temporary protection from the elements of life until something permanent can be found.
There are those of us that feel no sympathy for the homeless. For the record, at one point in my life I use to look down on those I saw sleeping on the streets of Toronto, but now I have a new outlook on these folks because I realize that I could be just like anyone of them, if I had not been for my faith in God. Life throws hard balls that can knock us down or knock us out.
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rickettc, at 10:56 p.m.
Homelessness is a real problem that infringe on a basic necessity and a fundamental human right which is a blatant violation of international human rights and is far more prevalent than what we see. Our government cutting income that helps the low income get affordable housing contributes to this problem. The issue of Homelessness is most importantly a problem of inadequate income to cover housing costs, especially for women and families with children.
I believe increasing the supply of rental housing is one solution necessary to combating homelessness within the guidelines of the Landlord and Tenant Act. Increasing the available rental housing should be a priority for the Ontario government. An income support program for housing would be a means of correcting the inequalities created by insufficient wages which ignores the financial realities of families. Creating a shelter allowance program is simply a means of adjusting the incomes of the most disadvantaged households in our society so that they can afford life’s necessities, such as shelter.
There is also the issue of discrimination keeping those from being able to rent affordable apartments. These folks are rejected by landlords because: they are on welfare; of their income; they have children; they lack a credit history, and they cannot provide a last month’s rent deposit, as a result, they are pushed into undesirable housing.
Any of the suggestions in the Hidden Homelessness would be a start to a bad situation. Easing the restrictions on basement apartments would help the homeless. It is a known fact that basement apartments whether legal or illegal are being rented at the benefit of the landlords and there is no reason to believe that this will cease to be the case in the future. Lining the pockets of landlords is a thing that will not be stopped, it should now be regulated. If regulated then the restrictions include the owner occupier exemption in the RTA” and municipal zoning restrictions would be lifted. I believe that there is a legitimate concern to protect tenants from substandard accommodation and not to keep “those people” out of suburbia.
Just as in any other normal course of life situation there are those that will be likely to become homeless for what ever reason. I don’t think anyone would choose to be homeless. There are always extreme circumstances why a person has become homeless. It is certainly easy for others to judge another person, but not until we are in their situation will we understand.
Charities today are themselves going through hardship with donations coming in. Very few charities create an illusion; if this was the case, very soon or after a while they will not be around. Shelters are there to be just that, not a home. It is a short, temporary protection from the elements of life until something permanent can be found.
There are those of us that feel no sympathy for the homeless. For the record, at one point in my life I use to look down on those I saw sleeping on the streets of Toronto, but now I have a new outlook on these folks because I realize that I could be just like anyone of them, if I had not been for my faith in God. Life throws hard balls that can knock us down or knock us out.
By
rickettc, at 10:57 p.m.
Do rent controls help or hurt tenants? For example, landlords will argue that rent controls are a disincentive to build new units or to maintain existing units?
Rent control is a matter of a variety of disciplines: economic, philosophy, politic, urban planning and others. Moreover, there are several approaches about it. There is one approach contrary to the rent control named libertarian approach; libertarians view the rent controls as an illegal confiscation of property from landlords without compensation. Rent control statutes operate to take part of the landlord’s interest in his reversion and to transfer it to the tenant, there is a taking of private property. Libertarians affirm that rent control is unconstitutional and rent control is an unjustified taking of private property for private use without fair compensation for the property so taken. Moreover, Governments in democratic, market societies should be reluctant to impose rent control. But the opposite point of view can argue saying that ownership of property is constrained in many ways, such as taxation, rules against building standards, etc. The owner of rental units is aware that his or her ownership is subject to regulation. There is a limitation on the power of the State to regulate. Whether or not a rent control statute is confiscatory is a matter of degree. Rent control that restrains landlords from charging market price is illegal.
To determine if rent controls help or hurt tenants. I think that rent control made appropriate with a technical study, projections and expertise in the topic and a multidisciplinary equip with respect of the human rights, constitutions and principles of the law, and the government can develop statutes and provision which can help the tenants and the landlords in the same tame. Because if the rent control is confiscatory, it could hurt the landlord and the tenant to because the leasing could decrease in this figure.
I think, the existence of rent control is because the imperfection of the systems of market in our society, because the juridical system in the field of this civil rights of the property is not regulated and controlled in some way the liberty of the market can hurt the economy and can hurt the landlord and the tenants in the same moment. That is the reason of the existence of the rent control, Ii think the rent control exist to remedy unfair situations of the economy in a Democratic Society.
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Unknown, at 6:08 p.m.
Does vacancy decontrol (removing controls when renting to new tenants) create an affordability problem for tenants (they cannot afford to move) and create an incentive for landlords to evict tenants?
I think that the vacancy is a mechanism creates to give a legal possibility to end a relationship between the landlords and tenant (contractual relationship-lease). Because the landlords should have the right to disposition of his/her property for different reasons. The proceeding describes in the Residential and Tenancy act give the possibility to evict the tenant when the leasing terminate. The law create legal an fair reasons to evict a tenant for example in the case that a tenant do not pay his/her rent reiterative or the case in which the tenant practice illegal conduct such as the commercialization of drugs and other reasons more, for this i said that the evict should be for fair reasons. What is going to happen if in the legal system the landlord does not have the possibility to evict a tenant? I think the landlord can use other mechanisms that are such as evict in illegal way. That is the reason of the existence of the Tribunal of Board and Courts to decide and intervene in this situations, to try to balance the rights of the tenant and the rights of the landlords in a society which the peace and values are the most important.
Should landlords have to justify any increase? Under the present system landlords can get an automatic increase every year, although at a prescribed rate, even if they do not need it.
According to the s. 126.(1) of the RTA “A landlord may apply to the Board for an order permitting the rent charged to be increased by more than the guideline for any or all of the rental units in a residential complex in any or all of the following cases:...”. In this case the increase should be according to the guideline formula of each year
Each year the Ontario Government announces the province’s rent increase guideline for the following year. In most cases, the rent for a unit can be increased if at least 12 months have passed since the tenant first moved in or since his or her last rent increase. The tenant must be given proper written notice of the rental increase at least 90 days before the rent increase takes effect. This annual rent increase guideline is based on the Ontario Consumer Price index (CPI).This prices are based in statistics and objective measure of inflation. Finally, the landlords may justify and increase that is more than the prices of the guideline. The landlords may also apply for an increase above the guideline for operating costs related to security services and for eligible capital expenditures. The landlords may increase the rent in accordance with the prescribed rules. But, a landlord should not increase rent by more than the guideline plus 3 per cent of the previous lawful rent charged. (According to the s. 121(3) of the RTA).
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Unknown, at 6:08 p.m.
Rent control would have been the simple way to end rent increases by the landlord even though t the landlords will never welcome the idea of rent control. I agree with Gculver that rent increase should be justified to eliminate greed, however, when you read in-between the arguments of the landlords, it shows that the landlords are just being voracious. Greg will always argue that the landlords are businessmen, agreed, remember rent control was first introduced in 1944 as a result of severe rent gouging by your so called businessmen. I would think that business should be done with conscience, not with the urge of preying on the defenceless tenants, thus unreasonably enriching pockets at expense of other people.
Greg believe this, we will continue to have a go like you said on the landlords until the landlords stop living above their income. It is not required in business that a businessperson outgoings be more that his earnings. This is exactly why landlords raises rent whenever, anyone of their needs arises. Now tell me does your employer get to increase your salary anytime you have a pressing need of changing your car, or paying your children’s tuition fee in Harvard University. NO
The landlords line of thought is that rent controls are a disincentive to build new units or maintain existing units, I disagree because it is shown that the landlords and developers built many of the high rise apartments with the major government incentives both in taxation, with accelerated capital cost allowance write offs and other necessary programs. Evidence shows that they stopped building immediately government allowances was withdrawn, in my opinion the landlords and developers claim of not building apartments is a threat of a toothless bulldog, because the landlords were not able to build after the government withdraw all the incentives and subsidies of taxpayer’s which include the taxes of the tenants.
This is to say that the landlords never built one single apartment, the apartments that was built then was built with government assistance, can you imagine? With the government assistance, landlords were increasing rents by huge amounts. People let us reason together, what do you think will happen to tenants if apartments are built without the government assistance. Food for thought
I want to point out at this point, that there is a need to institute rent control; it will be a relief on the tenants, Angela, I agree with you it is important in order not to pay more than necessary for living accommodation. Reasonable fee I suggest, if it is ok for the government to assist the landlords, by breaking down the landlords taxes, and capital cost allowance written off, I see no reason why the government cannot participate by way of rent control.
Furthermore, if the government can control the cost of living by the taxes we pay, rent should not be an exception.
On the issue of vacancy, decontrol in my opinion is a compensation for the landlords for evicting the tenants unlawfully. I agree with Adrea that they should be a law to check and balance inappropriate conduct. Why vacancy decontrol this can never generate rent affordability for tenants, this will rather augment the pockets of the landlords. There should be a balance for both landlords and tenants.
I conclude by calling on the government to focus on the issue of addressing
affordable housing
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Fc, at 3:47 p.m.
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