Treating unhoused people humanely is the law, folks

Pinpointing a moment of true personal awareness of the need for supportive housing like that proposed for 175 Cummer Avenue lands me in 1998. That’s when the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee called for federal emergency relief monies for unhoused people and a national housing programme, among other measures.

In 1999, mayors in Canada — including Willowdale’s own Mel Lastman — declared homelessness a national disaster. A year later, an Action Plan report identified cuts to income supports, employment insurance, and social housing development as major drivers.

Twenty years later, and we’re bickering over initiatives like Toronto City Council’s approval in April 2020 of 250 modular supportive homes, using Council-approved criteria to select sites.

Council was moving forward urgently under a Toronto Housing Charter that recognized housing as a human right. That was consistent with a federal Housing Policy Declaration adopted as part of the National Housing Strategy Act, which also committed to building sustainable and inclusive communities. It became Canadian law in 2019 and is reflected in international law.

The Willowdale development would give 59 people housing, along with a range of services similar to those available to residents of the nearby supportive living complex…