Mayors ought to deal with housing coverage, not encampment evictions, says Wellington Guelph Drug Technique
Somewhat than searching for methods to take away encampments from sight, Mayor Cam Guthrie and others ought to focus their efforts on creating housing insurance policies to handle the homelessness and affordability crises, says a coalition of native businesses.
In a press release launched on Thursday, the Wellington Guelph Drug Technique (WGDS) spoke out in opposition to the current calls from 13 Ontario mayors, together with Guthrie, for the premier to guard municipalities that take down encampments from court docket challenges underneath the Canadian Constitution of Rights and Freedoms by utilizing the however clause to defend them.
“We all want to see members of our community housed and well. We all want to feel safe in our communities. The use of the notwithstanding clause will not get us closer to reaching this shared goal,” reads the assertion.
“In Guelph and Wellington county, there’s a housing, psychological well being and substance use disaster, and we’re experiencing elevated pressures on our well being and social help methods. We all know there are robust hyperlinks between folks experiencing psychological well being and addictions issues and their housing standing.
“It is important that elected officials – including mayors – also recognize these links, however, we are concerned by the assertions that those who are unhoused and living in encampments are assumed to be a danger to themselves or others.”
The mayors’ letter requests that the provincial authorities intervene in any court docket case that “restricts the ability of municipalities to regulate and prohibit encampments,” stating “courts should not be dictating homelessness policy.”
Elected officers face advanced challenges in managing and responding to problems with homelessness, the coalition acknowledges.
“As municipalities address this challenge, there is a need to ensure that responses to address concerns about community safety are appropriately balanced with the health, wellbeing and rights of community members who are unhoused.”
Along with utilizing the however clause, the mayors’ letter asks the premier to strengthen the prevailing system of obligatory community-based and residential psychological well being care.
“Our focus should be on increasing access to voluntary treatment options,” WGDS states. “People who are actively seeking to make a change need access to voluntary crisis stabilization, withdrawal management, treatment and recovery supports. Currently, there are not enough options for people who want to change their substance use and the options that exist have frustrating waitlists and delays due to capacity issues.”
