Wednesday, Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario NDP, told Ontarians she will end the encampment crisis in Ontario — by forcing them to live like the rest of us. Sounds noble, except it’s been tried before and has failed. Stiles fundamentally misunderstands how Ontarians end up in encampments in the first place, as if there’s a direct line from losing one’s home to living in a tent in a park. Encampments have risen in Canada for a number of reasons, the least likely of which is the lack of affordable housing, as Stiles believes. Evidence suggests it’s mental health and substance abuse that are the major drivers of encampments across Canada.
During her visit to the riding of Parkdale—High Park in Toronto, Stiles told Ontarians, “The Ontario NDP will end the encampments by supporting people and by helping them find a home to live in.”
She continued, “How will we do it? We will support municipalities with their shelter and community housing costs, and we’ll also undo the damage that was done when Liberals and Conservatives downloaded housing to cities. We’ll get the government back to building supportive housing, that’s a permanent home that has wrap-around support like mental health care or addiction support and more. We’ll help with paying rent, to get people out of shelter and into homes quickly, and also free up more shelter space. And we’re gonna prevent homelessness by increasing social assistance and protecting renters to keep more people in their homes to begin with.”
When asked by a reporter what this would cost, Stiles did not provide an amount.
She later told the crowd, “The answer to the crisis is housing, right?” As if asking the question before continuing and confirming her own assumptions, “It’s housing first.”
Housing may be the neat and tidy issue Stiles would like to focus her campaign on, but like most things, the problem of encampments is far more complicated.
Ontarians don’t simply go from losing their home to living in a park. Stiles fundamentally misunderstands homelessness.
In actuality, encampment-living is far more likely to be a result of addictions and mental illness than the lack of affordable housing. According to a 2020-2022 government survey of 26,000 of homeless in 87 communities across Canada, 61 per cent reported having substance use issues, 60 per cent reported having mental health issues, and 47 per cent reported having both.
And the numbers for mental health and addiction for the homeless may be even higher. As the survey notes, it had an 87 per cent response rate. As we all know, mental health and addictions are still highly stigmatized, so it would not be surprising if that’s one of the main reasons why 13 per cent chose not to respond. And while the relationship between mental health and substance abuse and homelessness can be bidirectional, in that someone could become homeless and then develop mental health issues and addictions, the latter situation is far less likely.
In fact, only eight per cent of respondents reported neither mental health nor substance use issues as being the reason for their loss of housing. Does this sound like a “housing first” problem, Stiles?
Common sense should tell most Ontarians that mentally-well Canadians who are not addicts don’t typically fast-track to living in a tent.
And if Stiles thinks those living in encampments can quickly adjust to shelters, community housing, or live on their own, paid for by themselves or government, she hasn’t been paying attention.
While this might work for some high-functioning residents, it’s not likely to work for many with addictions and mental health issues, which are often combined. A good example of this is a failed San Francisco experiment where encampment members were put up in hotels. Rooms were destroyed, there was rampant illegal drug use and disorder, and, of course, having a hotel room did not stop people from dying from overdoses. In addition to mental health and addictions issues, some of those put up in the hotels had criminal backgrounds.
Encampments are not well-functioning peaceful Smurf villages with individuals who can quickly transition to intermediate and regular housing, on the government dime or not.
Another likely driver for the encampments and rising crime in Ontario and the rest of Canada is the process of “deinstitutionalization” which occurred across the country between 1960 and 1980. This meant that chronic mental health patients were discharged from institutions with beds, 24/7 care and supervision and suddenly became the responsibility of local community mental health services which were not equipped to handle them. This is the same reason why Stiles’ claim that a permanent home with what she refers to as “wrap around support” is not likely to solve the problem either.
Here’s the issue, there will always be some individuals who will never be able to fully function in society and who are, frankly, dangerous to others and themselves. Some of these individuals need around-the-clock support and supervision. Unfortunately, they now slip through the cracks and end up on our streets and in our parks. Those who are not dangerous still may need the kind of support that can only be given in long term institutions. Those who are functional, but at risk of homelessness, would no doubt benefit from access to psychological and financial counselling as well as addictions services.
As noted by social worker Ann Braden Johnson in her 1990 book on the American experience, Out of Bedlam: The Truth About Deinstitutionalization, the movement was largely based on the flawed premise that the mentally ill, with the assistance of medication and community support, could return to a normal functioning life in society. And let’s not fool ourselves, it was also about saving government money. This immediately put additional pressure on hospitals, community centres and police. Look around. Sound familiar?
Ontario, and the rest of Canada, is experiencing an encampment crisis, and something does have to be done about it. But solving that crisis requires understanding the situation first. Stiles does taxpayers and those living in encampments no favours by putting forward a plan like this. My guess is that organizations that specialize in these issues will tell Stiles that this crisis is not, “housing first,” but “mental health and addictions first,” and I hope they shout it, loud and clear.
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