Outreach workers say Ontario encampments are 'necessary' amid lack of shelter spaces

A tent encampment is shown at Moss Park in Toronto on Saturday Sept. 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Doug Ives (Doug Ives/The Canadian Press)

LONDON, Ont. — Sean Horrell walked into the woods holding a basket filled with hot meals, water bottles, juice boxes and snacks for a group of people living in a small London, Ont., homeless encampment.

When he approached the camp, he was greeted by a brown dog that barked and wagged its tail. As Horrell called out names, four people left their makeshift shelters to grab the lunch he’d brought.

It was a chilly day in late November, with thick clouds and a light drizzle making it feel even colder.

“Do you have any winter clothes?” asked a woman in a black hoodie with “Good Vibes” written on it.

Horrell responded with a smile, “Yes, you have to walk with me.”

Two men and a woman followed as he strolled through muddy leaves to a minivan in a nearby parking lot, where they tried on jackets, boots and socks.

“On days like today, where it’s raining or as the weather gets worse, it means so much more that we show up and we come to them,” Horrell said.

“Not only does it make them feel very valued but often if you’re sick out here, that’s when you need energy and a warm meal the most.”

As the province seeks to end homeless encampments in public spaces with tough new legislation, many Ontarians are divided over how the issue should be handled amid ongoing housing, addictions and mental-health crises.

But Horrell and his team at 519Pursuit, a non-profit organization that helps homeless people in London, are determined to continue delivering hot meals and supplies five days a week to people living in tents.

Horrell’s routine is almost the same every day.

In the morning, he drives to a storage building where 519Pursuit keeps donated items including sleeping bags, drinks, snacks and pet food.

Then, he and a group of volunteers pack food and drinks in plastic bags before heading off in different directions to distribute help across the city.

Premier Doug Ford’s government recently introduced legislation to give more powers to police and municipalities to clear encampments out of public parks, a move critics say would further marginalize an already marginalized group.

The bill aims to strengthen penalties for those who repeatedly break trespass laws and use illegal drugs in public, but it’s unclear when that will take effect since the legislature won’t return from its winter break until March 3.

The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has called the pending legislation “ineffective, costly and cruel.”

“The only way to solve homelessness is with homes,” it said in a news release.

Horrell said encampments should continue to exist as a “harm reduction” measure for now because there is no better solution available.

“Encampments are necessary right now because the system itself is inundated, there aren’t enough (shelter) beds,” he said. “If it is a choice between having no space for people who are experiencing homelessness and having allocated spaces, I think it is an obvious choice.”

The premier also announced an additional $75.5 million funding toward homelessness prevention programs, including $50 million for affordable housing and $20 million to expand shelter capacity.

Horrell said the issue has always been a “double-edged sword.” While encampments provide homeless people with support and a sense of community, they also pose challenges for area residents and businesses, he said.

As he spoke with The Canadian Press, Horrell was approached by a man walking his dog close to an encampment who said he enjoyed talking to a couple in one of the tents when dropping them food and supplies, calling both “good” people.

But he also heard from an elderly woman who complained about her shoes being stolen from her property and quickly pointed finger at people in a nearby camp – who denied the accusation.

That divide is reflected in a recent survey of opinions on the issue across the province.

The Abacus Data survey, commissioned by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, asked 1,500 adults about encampments and homelessness. It found that while an overwhelming majority in Ontario expressed some level of concern over encampments, a relatively low number of respondents favoured a heavy-handed approach to clear them.

Although 65 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about encampments in their community, only 12 per cent supported stronger law enforcement measures.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has estimated that there were at least 1,400 encampments in cities and towns across the province in 2023.

The City of London said around 200 people currently live in 105 tents and another 100 individuals are completely unsheltered.

Spokesperson Andrea Rosebrugh said the city’s approach to encampments is reactive, meaning any removals are based on complaints and subsequent evaluation of the sites.

She also said the city’s 396 shelter spaces are always at capacity.

“We continue to approach encampments in our city with compassion and a desire to support those who are living unsheltered,” Rosebrugh said in a statement.

In Canada’s most populous city, there are around 450 tents across more than 100 parks, according to City of Toronto officials.

Toronto Deputy Mayor Amber Morley said any efforts aimed at preventing the growth of encampments in public spaces are welcomed, but expressed concerns about the proposed provincial legislation.

“I do think that we have to be really thoughtful and really considered in terms of the solutions that we’re working together,” she said, adding that pushing people out of their tents before providing them shelters will not resolve the problem.

“There is the obvious question when we talk about clearing encampments ... where are we clearing the individuals within those encampments to go?” Morley said at a recent news conference about the city’s shelter plans.

“These are human beings and clearing people that are residents of our city for me is not a reasonable or respectful thing for us to be talking about.”

That question was also raised by Michelle Boissonneault, another outreach worker at 519Pursuit in London, who has struggled with addiction and homelessness in the past.

Boissonneault said she started using drugs as a teenager and lived on the streets for years.

“I never felt the need to take care of myself,” she said. “I just didn’t care, like my humanity had been absolutely ripped from me. I was an empty shell of a human being.”

Boissonneault said she has been sober for two and a half years and now lives in her own apartment. She visits local encampments three times a week to help those going through what she has personally experienced.

Removing the camps will simply push people onto the streets, she said, which might make the situation even worse.

Horrell said although his main job is to make sure people in encampments don’t go hungry and have proper clothing to survive extreme weather conditions, he also connects them with shelter services and addiction counselling.

He said what he does is emotionally exhausting. A woman he knew at an encampment took her own life a few years ago, he said, his voice disappearing into a sob. Two years ago, he and a few other outreach workers found the remains of a man who had died after using drugs alone in a tent.

Despite the emotional toll, he said, he loves his job because it makes him “feel good.”

Those experiences and the fact that he himself is a recovered drug addict have taught him a lesson, Horrell said.

“I can’t save people, only people can save themselves, but in order to do that you’ve got to be cared for and you got to feel like you’re worth fighting for.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024.

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press