The Home Truth

Federal, provincial, and municipal governments have for decades responded to the “social problem” of homelessness with emergency shelters and transitional housing. These, it was thought, would give a vulnerable population the chance to recover and move on. It became apparent over time, however, that such solutions could not address homelessness resulting from complex and intertwined issues like illness, inadequate income, precarious employment, and a lack of affordable housing.

Some hope arrived in 2019 with the National Housing Strategy Act, which recognized “that the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right affirmed in international law.” This declaration, however, hasn’t brought much more improvement than did the Housing First approach adopted by Ottawa in 2014. According to Amanda Grenier, who divides her time between the University of Toronto and Baycrest Hospital, this earlier initiative was intended “to provide housing as a means to address...