Krista Sanderson feels a personal connection to the issue of homelessness, having witnessed the encampment at the intersection of Victoria and Weber streets in downtown Kitchener grow over time.
“I’ve been witness to it and what’s been happening in the neighbourhood at the very beginning since this encampment popped up, that was back in the spring of 2020,” she told .
Living nearby, Sanderson says she has a “bird’s-eye view from where I live of the things that are happening in my neighbourhood, in my community and with the people in the encampment,” noting that she’s “seen a lot of really concerning things.”
That’s why she believes this issue is crucial during this municipal election. She hopes the incoming councillors will focus on helping those at the encampment move into stable housing while also providing mental health and addiction support.
“I think those two things need to go hand-in-hand,” she said. “I don’t think it’s black and white. A lot of these people seem like they need more help than just housing.”
Similar to Sanderson, one-third of the 654 participants from Waterloo region, Guelph, and Wellington County who responded to CBC Kitchener-Waterloo’s survey indicated that homelessness and encampments are significant issues for them this election cycle.
The survey asked respondents to rank their top three election concerns and what they would prioritize if elected mayor. While not scientific, it will inform CBC Kitchener-Waterloo’s coverage throughout the municipal elections.
WATCH | Court rules encampment in Kitchener can stay:
‘A good feeling’: Kitchener encampment residents react after court rules they can stay
Residents and advocates have expressed their thoughts after an Ontario judge decided that residents of a Kitchener encampment can remain there. The ruling delivered Thursday by the Ontario Superior Court stated that removing these residents would violate their Charter Rights. CBC’s Carmen Groleau spoke with residents on Friday.
Tori Munro from Cambridge mentioned seeing homelessness increase in her community as well. She believes stronger housing solutions along with better support systems are essential for helping individuals facing homelessness.
As a mother of two young children, she’s particularly concerned about ensuring public areas like parks remain safe.
“A lot if it clusters to the downtown area because there are different social services in that area and people tend to stay around there,” Munro told .
She expressed a desire for future council members to engage with organizations working directly with homeless individuals as well as those who have lived through such experiences when seeking solutions.
“It just seems so straightforward to talk to the people who are dealing with it every day,” she said. “They’ll tell you and that’s the answer.”
Need for Provincial Support to Address Homelessness
James Fedosov, co-owner of Speed River Bicycle located in downtown Guelph, believes addressing homelessness requires provincial assistance. He acknowledges that those entering council face significant challenges ahead.
“Frankly, I feel kind of bad for the people that are inheriting what is, in my opinion, more of a provincial issue than a municipal issue,” he told .
“Municipal governance have fewer resources to deal with this kind of thing, but they’re the ones that are hearing from citizens the most about it,” he stated.
Fedosov looks for candidates who will approach this matter with compassion and respect.
Support from provincial authorities is something municipalities and groups assisting homeless individuals say is urgently needed.
“We need t o increase O ntario W orks a nd ODSP [Ontario Disability Support Program] rates s o t hat housing allowance actually covers t he cost o f housing today , and I think t hat would go along way towards stemming t he flow o f individuals into ho melessness,” Kim Decker , CEO o f t he YWCA i n Cambridge , told Ont ario Chro nicle. p >
“P ove rty i s a key driver o f home lessnes s a nd our curr ent soc ial assist ance rat es ar e lit erally dri ving peo ple t o hom elessn ess,” Decker sa id. p >
Dat a fr om th e reg ion ’s Plan t o End Chr onic Ho meless ness shows how th e pand emic im pacted th e num ber o f peo ple experien cing home less ness fr om 737 i n 2019 t o 1 ,132 by 2022 , peaking i n 2024 wi th 1 ,468. p >
This char t shows th e num ber o f peo ple ex periencing ho meless ness an d chronic ho melessness i n th e Reg ion o f Water loo. Num bers sig ni ficantly increased du ring th e COVID-19 pan demic. (Reg ion o f Water loo) p >
Joe Mancini fro m K itch ener’s Th e Working Centre , a comm unity-based non-profit fo cused on unemp loy ment, pove rty an d hom eless ness echoed Decker’s comments, a dding tha t mor e aff ordable an d deeply aff ordable hous ing wo uld als o be benefi cial. P >
”Mor e available hous ing opt ions wo uld make a trem endous differ ence,” he sa id. P >WATCH | What’s coming next for Guelph Public Library site:
Gu el ph announ ces plans to build housing on main library site P >The Cityof Guelph will purchase land w here main branchof Gu elph Public Libraryis locatedon Norfolk Streetto useitforbuildinghousing including affordable units. Mayor Cam Guthrie says purchaseaddressesneedforcityowningmorelandforaffordablehousing. Library CEODan Atkins saysmainbranchmovingto newlocationinnewyear, sotransferringlandtocitymadesense.
How local candidates planto addresshomelessnessandencampments h2 > Home lessnes sis handledat regionallevelin Regionof Waterloo. Electedmayors sitonregionalcouncilwithvotersalsoelectingrepresentativesfromtheircitytositoncouncil. CBCKitchener-Waterloo reachedouttoallmayoralandregionalcandidatesrunningin Regionof Waterlooand Gu elphabouthowtheywouldtack lehomelessnessandencampments. Of60candidates, h alf repliedto bydeadline. Manyofthecandidatessaidtheywouldworktowardbuildingmoreaffordabl esupportiveortransitionalhousingintheircommunitiesunderstandingthatpeopleexperiencinghomelessnessneed someformofpermanenthousing.
Man y candidatesalsosaidtheywouldwork withdifferentlevelsofgov ernmen ttodaddressissue. Otherssaidtheyliketo seeincreasedsupportsformentalhealthandaddictionswhileotherstalkedaboutupholdingaccountabilityandprotectingpublicspaces.
Some candidates touchedonotherinitiatives.
K itch ener regional candidate Matt Rodriguesforexa mple saidhewouldliketorevitalizecommunityhousingprojectsintheregion whichsomehavebeenpauseddueconstructioncostsandfinancing, andexpandrentsupplementstohelppeoplestay housed.
“It’s much more costeffective thanthesupportneededfor someonewhobecomeshomeless,”hetold .”Ifwecanhelpclear rentarrearsorhelpwithsayfirstorlastmonth’srenttoallowsomeone tomoveorsupportpeoplethrough evictionsprocess tomakesurethat they’reawareoftheirrightsasatenant that’sonewaythatwecaninfairlyshortorderhelppreventandreducethe inflowintohomelessness.”
LISTEN | Cambridge mayoral candidates discuss encampments:<
The Morning Edition -K-W12:32Cambridge mayoralcandidatesanswer someofyourquestions p>A crowd gatheredatthe Old Post Officein Galthisweek. Theywere theretohearfromthe Cambridgemayoralcandidates. CBCco-hostedtheevent. Moderator Craig Norrisaskedthemsomeofyourmostpressingelection questions.
Otherslike Cambridge mayora lcandidate Ken Rochewouldliketoseeasafetentingprotocoltogivepeopleexperiencinghomelessnessanalternative.
“I don’tthinkanybodybelongsinatent, but Idothinkweneedtolegalize campingbecauseyoucan’tgetridofpeoplein Victoria Streetbecausethejudgesaysthere’snolegalplacewhentheygo,”Rochesaidduringamayoralforumatthe Cambridge Public Librarywhich CBCKitchener-Waterloo moderated.>>>Oth erswho proposedestablishingtentingprotocolinclude Cambridgeregionalcandidate Bryan Causarano-Boltonand Kitchenerregionalcandidate Simon Guthrie.
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