The Forgotten People
Are you willing to sacrifice your comfort to restore someone else’s?
BY: KHALIL ADEN
Midtown protest captured by @nejsnave
Amid the pandemic, citizens have become wary of their leaders and institutions now more than ever. The competence of the world’s leaders and their handling of this pandemic has been debated throughout the quarantine. Many people looked to their governments for support and guidance during these tough times. In response, countries have given financial and housing aid to their citizens due to lost jobs and reduced hours. Here in Toronto, citizens have received aid since the pandemic started with measures like the CERB being created. But the city of Toronto has also provided shelter to those who are homeless during this time to limit the spread of the virus.
Three homeless shelters have been under fire lately due to the complaints from community members that there’s been an increase of crime with the opening of these shelters in the Midtown community. A hotel and two buildings have been rented by the City in this Midtown neighbourhood and community members are looking to get rid of these homeless shelters due to the alleged crime increase. Many are claiming that they’re “living in a nightmare” and that they’re scared to pick up their kids from daycare. Although there hasn’t been any direct correlation between the newly housed homeless people and the increase in crime, outside of a stabbing incident involving the shelter’s staff and an overdose happening nearby, residents still fear for their safety.
The topic of discussion regarding the homeless shelter is based around the safety of the Midland community. The people in this community have a genuine fear with these homeless shelters in their community and they have the right to if their claims are true. But the depiction of the homeless as criminals who are a danger to society needs to be changed. Lawmakers need to work towards helping these people by giving them the assistance they need. Real change can occur from this temporary housing as the City has booked the hotel for two years. If the City provides more aid for the homeless in addition to providing more security for the community, it can be a second chance for those who fell on hard times. You can’t expect these people to get rid of all of their vices as soon as they have temporary shelter. They need time to change.
The silent stigmatization of the homeless has been apparent for a long time. If you take a walk downtown you can easily overhear a conversation between a homeless person and a stranger. There’s a good chance you’ll walk by someone saying “you’re not gonna use this for drugs right?” Or you just might hear a simple “fuck off”. Our society views the homeless as mere obstacles in our day. Sure we might drop a few dollars in an empty tin can, but we won’t be willing to take the extra step as a nation and advocate for the rehabilitation of the homeless simply because it doesn’t concern us. The reason to care isn’t there for most people.
When you look at the institutions and businesses that accept and support the homeless, the amount is very limited. McDonald’s is known for allowing shelter for the homeless during tough winter nights. Although it isn’t a company policy, most workers during the midnight shifts turn a blind eye to the homeless. Even though sometimes their presence will be met with adversity from other customers, McDonald’s hasn’t issued any policies against them. Public libraries are also sanctuary for the homeless with libraries providing resources such as clean water, a bathroom, furniture, internet, etc. The Toronto Public Library noticed that they were attracting a lot of homeless folks; in response, they implemented a social worker to help the homeless, as well as training for staff on how to interact with the homeless. The TPL recognized the service that they unintentionally provided for the homeless and accepted that responsibility and added further services for the homeless.
Not all businesses or institutions are as accepting of the homeless. Last month a Tim Horton’s in Ottawa received a lot of backlash regarding their new policy where customers who buy an item must leave their store 30 minutes after their purchase or they can call the police. Many called out the restaurant as they believed this specifically targeted the homeless who stay there. One month later another Tim Horton’s location in Ottawa removed all of the seating in their dining section. The Tim Horton’s is known for homeless staying during late nights. Removing the entire dining area just so that the homeless can’t occupy any space is extremely cruel considering that they know the circumstances that the homeless are in.
Photo by @ameszimmer
Outside of restaurants social services also fail to cater to those who are homeless by having obstacles that bar homeless people from receiving any type of aid. These policies might not be trying to target the homeless, but they weren’t created with the homeless in mind, such as the need for documentation to apply for social assistance programs. Those who are homeless shouldn’t be expected to have identification especially if they recently transitioned into homelessness and lost their possessions, including those who’ve been homeless for a long period of time.
In Ontario, youth under 18 are unable to apply for social assistance unless they have a trustee or guardian. Family abuse and turbulent households are common causes of homelessness to begin with. To expect youth to have a reliable guardian when 77% of youth homelessness is caused by family breakdowns is irresponsible. It deters the youth from receiving the aid they need. This is just a short list of the barriers that those who are in imminent danger of becoming homeless and those who are already homeless have to deal with.
It's engraved in our society to ignore, but also push away the homeless. We design our policies around those who aren’t homeless, specifically the policies that benefit them the most. We don’t allow those who dare fall on hard times to be in the same social settings or neighbourhoods as us. Businesses bar them from entering and call the police just to keep them out. Why do we continue to separate ourselves from the homeless as if they aren’t one of us?
Action is needed to change the way the homeless are treated in our society. We often need an incentive for us to act out towards goals, especially if it doesn’t pertain to us specifically. But through the liberation of the homeless we can push for universal housing and income as it is a human right to have food and shelter. Suffering from an addiction or being fired from your job shouldn’t end with you having to live on the street. So when I saw protests taking place against the homeless, I was confused. What could they be protesting for?
Watching the Midtown neighbourhood protest against the homeless was a weird experience. You had people who were upset at the needles, defecation, and alleged robberies. These issues can be solved by sanitation workers being more prevalent in the neighbourhood and a security presence. But when there’s someone in the crowd shouting, “Make your own money! What a concept!” (3:04), it speaks to the undertone that I mentioned earlier. It becomes an issue of classism where people are looking down on the homeless rather than having the empathy to understand the circumstances.
The temporary inconvenience that has been caused by the homeless is enough for the community to remove them entirely despite the risk and dangers of COVID-19. These people don’t have the luxury of having a home they can social distance in. It’s a miracle that they haven’t already been infected by the virus considering how recently they moved in. We haven’t reached the crossroads yet in this situation. If there were any signs of a real danger the city would have acted by now.
The city of Toronto has a chance to capitalize on the housing they provided by extending that support with policies and structural changes for those who have been homeless or recently become homeless, as well as those who are on the verge of becoming homeless.
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. They’ve created an integrated systems approach that addresses the individual, institutional, structural, and societal factors that cause and maintain homelessness. Within their action plan, they outline multiple solutions to homelessness that involves implementing government support for housing, mental health, education, sexual violence victims, youth, etc.
Photo courtesy of Canadian Observatory of Homelessness
If changes were to occur during this transitional phase for the homeless, the problems that this community is facing could be fixed. There needs to be a long-term solution in order for the real issue at hand to be solved. This includes fixing housing policies that lead to homelessness, such as limits on the amount of time youth and adults can spend in transitional housing. Limiting the amount of time for someone who needs shelter doesn’t do anything besides giving someone temporary housing. The housing needs to be used as a stepping stone for people to get back on their feet and have sustainable income to support themselves.
We can proactively keep people from having to become homeless by providing financial aid for those who are low-income earners. Raising the minimum wage or increasing benefits rates are some ways of helping those who are at risk. When the homeless are no longer able to stay in rented hotels, they will need to find a job to fully get themselves back on track. This is just a shortlist of solutions outlined in the Canadian Observatory of Homelessness’ action plan that delves deeper into the systemic and institutional barriers for the homeless that need to be changed.
The city of Toronto has made a valiant step in combating homelessness by providing housing during these times. But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to rehabilitation for those who are homeless. The city needs to capitalize on its current situation by providing those who are in shelter with the resources they need to help them get back on their feet. If the city releases everyone who was in the shelters without providing them without any support outside of temporary housing, then our society will continue to excommunicate those who have become homeless outside of our communities.
