The Review of the Emergency Shelter Services in Windsor Essex (herein referred to as the Shelter Review), is being presented for information and to inform the recommendations set forth in this Council Report. The Shelter Review is provided in Appendix A.

Discussion:

Individuals and families who experience homelessness may not share much in common with each other, aside from the fact that they are extremely vulnerable, and lack adequate housing and income and the necessary supports to ensure they stay housed. The causes of homelessness reflect an intricate interplay between structural factors, systems failures and individual circumstances. Homelessness is usually the result of the cumulative impact of a number of factors, rather than a single cause.2

The only solution to end homelessness is housing. Housing is an important building block in a healthy and inclusive community. Access to affordable, adequate and suitable housing is foundational and positively contributes as a vital indicator of overall health and wellbeing. According to OrgCode, an organization dedicated to the elimination of homelessness, if the focus is more on programming within the shelter, that can inadvertently result in people staying in shelter longer – and sometimes becoming so integrated into the programming and comforts of shelter that they begin to see shelter a home. President and CEO Iain De Jong asserts “Only three measures matter in sheltering: how long were people homeless; how many moved on to a positive housing destination; and how many came back.”

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada, and curator of the Homeless Hub, believes that emergency services alone cannot form the basis of the response to homelessness. Services that were meant to provide short-term and temporary “band-aids” to a problem cannot become the institutionalized, long-term solutions to the crisis of homelessness.

Homeless Hub also addresses some of the myths surrounding homelessness, such as people experiencing homelessness are lazy; there are plenty of supports available so they should just go get some help and get a job.

However, consider how people who experience homelessness are constantly searching for the necessities of life, such as food, shelter and a source of income. Finding a job becomes even more challenging when an individual does not have access to technology, transportation, or even a shower. When individuals experiencing homelessness find jobs, they are often part-time or minimum wage positions, which may not help meet their needs, due to high housing costs. Further, many of the solutions and supports for homelessness are focussed on an emergency response, such as shelters and food banks, which on their own are inadequate. 

2 https://www.homelesshub.ca/about-homelessness/homelessness-101/causes-homelessness