In London, shelters are stop-gap solutions says this reader

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As communities across the country face an unprecedented homelessness and encampment crisis, we need your help to tell the full story. We are searching for your stories about homelessness across Canada and adding reader-submitted stories to the interactive Tent City Nation map. Stories may be lightly edited for clarity.

📍 London, Ontario

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I live within a five minutes walk of three different encampments. Mostly they keep to themselves, though. A lot more members of my community are homeless, so that’s rough for them. They’re generally good neighbours: all the complaints I have are ones that could be fixed with them getting housing, which is an issue that affects them a lot more than me. (Sometimes there’s garbage around, but people who have to live without garbage collection are a lot more affected by that than some guy who walks by it on the way home.)

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Generally, providing stable and unconditional housing has been proven as the best way to deal with homelessness. Shelters and stopgap solutions are fine but until our society acknowledges housing as a right that can’t be taken away, even if the person doesn’t work, or does drugs, or whatever. Homelessness is going to be an issue, and it’s going to get worse. There’s no easily accessible way for someone to get a job and pull themselves out of poverty without somewhere to live.

—  Bert Warren, London, Ontario

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