Social Justice and Advocacy

Provincial: Address Homelessness with Housing, not Handcuffs

Ontario’s homelessness crisis is out of control. Something needs to be done — but it shouldn’t include punishing people forced to live in encampments. They have nowhere else to go.

This is why the Diocesan Social Justice & Advocacy Committee has joined more than 60 organizations across Ontario in the Encampment Justice Coalition. This coalition has written to the Premier asking his government to rescind Bill 6, the Safer Municipalities Act. This Bill, taken directly from failed American policy, won’t make anyone any less homeless. But it will hurt people and greatly increase policing and prison costs – paid for by taxpayer dollars – at a time when tariffs threaten to make life harder and less affordable for everyone.

To address encampments, Ontario must commit to proven solutions that respect people’s human rights.  The first of these is safe, affordable housing.

Read the letter to the Premier here, and consider writing a similar message to your own MPP in support.

Municipal: Support Neighbourhood Shelters in Toronto

More than 12,000 people are homeless and living in shelters in Toronto.  But many others – an average of 273 per night – are turned away each night, unable to find a bed.  Still others find large shelters traumatizing or unsafe.  As a result, we are seeing an incredible surge in visible homelessness, as people resort to living in encampments under bridges, in ravines and public parks, even on the sidewalk – all across the City of Toronto.

Everyone deserves permanent housing they can afford. But until that housing is built, people deserve safe, decent shelter options that they can actually access.

The City of Toronto has a plan to create new, small-scale (50-80 people) shelters in neighbourhoods across Toronto. These sites have been selected to meet by-law, sizing, and budget requirements, and to be accessible to transit and local services. Each shelter will be designed to integrate into the local community and with the capacity to be converted into permanent housing in the future. (Learn more about the City’s plan here.)

People experiencing homelessness are our neighbours, whom Jesus calls us to love.  They come from, and live in, every part of our city – not just the downtown core.

As Christians, we can support our unhoused neighbours by standing up for local shelters. You can speak up at a public meeting, sign a petition of support to the local councillor, and display a sticker or lawn sign to let others know you support shelters in your neighbourhood. Learn more about ways to support here.