Ontario Greens will take a Housing First approach and end homelessness

May 13, 2022

TORONTO — Ontario Greens Leader Mike Schreiner made the following statement in response to news that Toronto is looking at hiring private security at major parks to prevent encampments:

“Let’s invest in affordable housing so everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.

Hiring private security to prevent encampments is not the way to address the homelessness crisis and it won’t solve the systemic issues that lead to encampments forming in the first place.

It will also further stigmatize unhoused Ontarians — including those suffering with mental health challenges or addictions.

Ontario Greens are committed to taking a Housing First approach and ending homelessness in the province. We will:

• Build 182,000 new permanently affordable community housing rental homes over the next decade, including 60,000 permanent supportive homes with wrap-around supports
• Renew 260,000 community housing units over the next decade
• Resume the homelessness census cancelled by the Ford government.
• Utilise a Housing First model to ensure that stable, permanent housing solutions are the first priority when helping those in need.”  

To see the full GPO platform: gpo.ca/platform

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