Going by reports from those working on the front lines, homelessness is increasing across the country, and so is the number of encampments.
Federal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis.
"It's a huge deal," Flynn said. "What's also new is the degree to which smaller municipalities and mid-sized municipalities are experiencing pretty dramatic increases in homeless populations. And many of them are not resourced to address the issue — they haven't been in a situation where they've had to."
"I have no fixed address," says Dove, 37, who has moved from coast to coast over the past five years before returning to Victoria from Quebec last month.Dove looks down Pandora Avenue, a major artery that leads to downtown Victoria, and expresses sadness for the people who have pitched tents along the grassy median known as Harris Green.
Since then, Osmond — who is out of work — has slept wherever he could — on couches, in cars and finally, in his tent alongside a busy four-lane road across from the provincial government building. Ten days after he first set up camp, his tent was surrounded by more than two dozen others. 'We're stuck': Quebec housing shortage pushes encampments to suburbs Tents have become a common sight on Bourassa Street in the Montreal suburb of Longueuil, as the shelter in a former church on the corner regularly attracts more people than it can lodge.
La Halte du Coin accepts 20 people per night to sleep on cots in the church nave. Lately, it's been turning away between 10 and 12 people every day. Rousseau says the shelter plans to increase its capacity to 35, but ultimately only a move to a new building will improve the situation. He describes a nightly scramble outside La Halte du Coin, with some people sleeping under picnic tables and others nestling against tents to benefit from the body heat of strangers."They make noise. There are vandals. They steal," Pap says. “There are many things that happen that are unpleasant and block us from moving forward."
It is one of more than 30 homeless encampments spread out across the Halifax Regional Municipality, where according to the latest city records, 1,014 people are homeless and looking for stable housing. “I couldn’t do it anymore. It’s become impossible,” he says of working a restaurant job while sleeping rough.
Bell says he doesn't drink or do drugs and tries not to associate with people who do. To get food or something warm to wear for the winter, he goes to outreach centres and food kitchens. He identifies three levels to homelessness: "There's people who want to get out of here. There's people who don't want to get out of here. And there's people who can't get out of here."
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'I have no fixed address': A look at encampments for homeless across CanadaFederal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis. 'People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ...
Read more »
'I have no fixed address': A look at encampments for homeless across CanadaFederal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis. 'People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ...
Read more »
'I have no fixed address': A look at encampments for homeless across CanadaFederal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis. 'People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ...
Read more »
'I have no fixed address': A look at encampments for homeless across CanadaFederal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis. 'People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ...
Read more »
'I have no fixed address': A look at encampments for homeless across CanadaFederal housing advocate Marie-Josée Houle has called the spread of homeless encampments in cities across Canada a human rights crisis. 'People living in encampments face some of the most vulnerable circumstances of any member of Canadian society ...
Read more »