Over 1,400 homeless encampments in Ontario ‘need urgent action,’ Brampton mayor says

Brampton’s mayor is calling on the province to do more for the residents of more than 1,000 homeless encampments in Ontario as the city is working with agencies to support the at-risk population.

“At last count there were over 1,400 encampments in Ontario, and that figure is only rising,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said in a social media post on Thursday following a plea from Ontario’s Big City Mayors asking the province and Ottawa for more support to manage a growing homelessness, addiction and mental health crisis.

In June, the city cleared out an encampment in Brampton’s Calvert Park where approximately 50 people were moved to Peel Region shelters, but support agency Regeneration Brampton says simply moving at-risk residents to the already overcrowded shelters isn’t a fix the city’s homelessness woes.

At least one person has died in the shelter since the camp was cleared out, Regeneration Brampton says.

Brown says Ontario cities “have been left to deal with this crisis without adequate resources and support” – something the Big City Mayors are trying to change with their Solve the Crisis campaign.

The mayors have put out a list of asks from both the province and the federal government, which includes creating a new provincial ministry to provide funding to municipalities, a task force with representatives from stakeholder groups, and to commit more funding to specific areas within addictions, housing and mental health care.

They are also asking for the creation of 24/7 Community Hubs and Crisis Centres to take pressure off emergency centres and first responders.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said on Thursday that “piecemeal” funding from both levels of government is “not consistent or enough.”

“What we know from the evidence is that funding announcements are not an actual plan… and while investments are made to help certain specific communities — it’s great — but it also withholds those funds from other communities and as a result,” Ward said.

Brown said there are programs available that can help stem the crisis, but called for “all levels of government to step up and work with municipalities and community partners to prioritize these solutions.”

The Big City Mayors are urging all Ontarians to add their voice to the call and put pressure on other orders of government “to take immediate action to solve the homelessness and mental health crisis gripping our communities.”

To learn more about the Solve the Crisis campaign visit www.solvethecrisis.ca.