Encampments down 70% but homelessness unchanged, Toronto outreach worker says
Mayor Chow reports dramatic fall in visible encampments across parks, but frontline staff cite dispersion strategy and warn housing shortage remains unchanged.
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Mayor Olivia Chow said Toronto's visible encampments are down 70 per cent and approximately 98 per cent of city parks are now clear, but Greg Cook, an outreach worker and team lead at Sanctuary, disputes whether the city has actually addressed homelessness itself.
"Homelessness has not declined," Cook said. He pointed to latest figures showing about 81 people a day calling for a shelter bed and going unmatched. When encampments are cleared, some people are offered shelter space, but Cook stressed a shelter bed is not the same as permanent housing. Some individuals who can't get a bed or refuse are dispersed to more isolated locations. "People are forced to sleep outside without survival structures like tents, and so then the city can say there's no encampments, but that just means people are forced to survive outside with less resources," Cook said.
Cook, who has worked in the field for more than 15 years, said the city has hired more staff for its encampment office and become more aggressive in clearing tents before larger encampments can form. The city is also spending more on clearing operations than it did years ago. "It's less that there's less people needing to sleep outside and more the fact that the city is spending more on clearing encampments than they did a number of years ago," he said.
Cook pointed to lack of funding for drop-ins and outreach teams, difficulties getting people into housing, rising housing costs, and limited availability of the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit as factors keeping people in homelessness. Frontline workers are seeing people struggle to access food and medical care. "People are hungrier. People, it's harder to get people the medical care they need," Cook said. Emergency departments are frequently used by unhoused people who have nowhere else to go, particularly during winter. Cook argues sustainable solutions require more affordable housing, better access to shelter and services, and basic infrastructure for people who remain outside.
How many people sleeping outside have moved into permanent housing versus temporary shelter or dispersed locations since encampment sweeps began?
What are the full figures for unmatched shelter bed requests each month, and how have they trended since the aggressive clearing began?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
By how much has Toronto reduced visible encampments?
Mayor Olivia Chow reported that visible encampments in Toronto are down 70 per cent, with approximately 98 per cent of city parks now clear.
How many people per day are calling for shelter beds in Toronto without getting matched?
About 81 people a day are calling for a shelter bed in Toronto and going unmatched, according to figures cited by Greg Cook, an outreach worker and team lead at Sanctuary.
What does Greg Cook say happens to people when encampments are cleared?
Some people are offered shelter space, but those who cannot get a bed or refuse it are dispersed to more isolated locations where they must sleep outside without survival structures like tents.
What factors does Cook identify as keeping people in homelessness?
Cook pointed to lack of funding for drop-ins and outreach teams, difficulties getting people into housing, rising housing costs, and limited availability of the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit.
