02-25-2023, 02:48 PM
(02-24-2023, 12:48 PM)Acitta Wrote:(02-24-2023, 01:50 AM)jeffster Wrote: As for the problem of chronic homelessness -- in many cases, you can't help some of these people. The best we can do is build 'affordable' housing (generally apartments or townhouses) but many of those folks wouldn't make it in such accommodations. Many have addiction and mental health issues that just wouldn't work in settings where there are other people around.
They have kicked people out of 'A Better Tent City' which had minimal rules. If you can't make it there, you won't make it anywhere and you will be homeless for life.
While there have always been a certain number of people who are chronically homeless and cannot handle living in normal society, the scale of homelessness these days is unprecedented across the country. There is a severe lack of affordable housing for people with low income. The amount of money for housing supplied by ODSP and Ontario Works is laughable. Once upon a time, someone could afford to get by on welfare. There used to be enough cheap rooms to rent. Even many of those with substance abuse problems could afford to have a roof over their head. This is a problem that has arisen because of decades of neglect by provincial governments. We cannot simply pretend that we can kick people out of encampments and they will simply disappear. Many countries in the global south have vast tracks of shantytowns built by people who have no other choice. This is our future if our governments don't take this seriously. Doug Ford allowing developers to build monster homes on the greenbelt is not going to solve the problem.
You're pretty much spot on about everything.
That said, how do we fix the housing issue? I think I had mentioned in a Reddit thread regarding an apartment being built in Waterloo for affordable housing. I calculated that the per unit cost was about $450,000. This confused me. Why are we paying so much for these builds? Where is the money being funnelled too? If we needed 30,000 affordability united in the region, the cost would be $14 billion. To house the homeless (chronic and/or living in rough) would likewise cost $500 million - just in this region.
We need to get to the bottom of why things are as expensive as they are though. Not even that long ago you could get a new small condo for less than $300G that would have had good interior design. A basic apartment unit should be a lot cheaper.
I know part of the issue is previous governments discouraged students from the trades, which is now bitting us in the ass. But apart from that, there is something bad going on - between politicians of all government levels, perhaps money laundering among other things. But we really need to see a full accounting and money trail. Who's profiting so much off of these builds?
Also, for clarification - those who have serious drug problems -- I don't recall a time where they have had a roof over their heads, unless they were in some sort of institution. I am not sure how old you are, but I recall this being an issue, and seeing it, when I went to Cameron Heights in the 1980's. Some folks would live under the Stirling Street overpass between Mill and Courtland.