NDP calls on Ontario to declare homelessness a humanitarian disaster

The NDP is calling upon the Ford government to declare homelessness a humanitarian disaster in Ontario and asking for a solution in this week’s provincial budget.

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Katherine Kalinowski, Chief Operating Officer at the Good Shepherd Centres says, “the amount of people who are without safe shelter is astonishing, and people who are struggling to hang on the housing they do have is increasing every day.”

NDP MPP, Toronto Centre, Kristyn Wong-Tam says around 16,000 in Ontario are homeless on any given night and because shelters are full, many are staying with family and friends, “the provincial government must do more, significantly more, to address the housing crisis in Ontario. We are looking for solutions from them.”

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Temporary shelters aren’t the solution according to the YMCA of Hamilton-Burlington. People need a permanent place to call home, “at the YMCA we’ve got hundreds on a waitlist. We could probably fill our residence a couple times over with the demand that’s there.”

Budget day in Ontario is Thursday and Wong-Tam says she wants to see an action plan,
“budgets show us what are government truly values and what they see as their priorities, we call on the Ford government to show us the money for real affordable housing in the budget.”

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The Good Shepherd and the YMCA both say it’s not just a housing issue, homelessness, addictions, and mental health often go hand in hand. They say providing support for all three problems is crucial.