A new report says the north could see over 26,000 people that are homeless by 2035.
It also reveals a 204% surge in homelessness in the region in the last nine years.
The Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA), in collaboration with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA), partnered with HelpSeeker to compile the report.
Titled “Municipalities Under Pressure: The Human and Financial Cost of Ontario’s Homelessness Crisis,” the report calls for an urgent $11-billion investment to achieve functional zero chronic homelessness by 2035 across Ontario.
“I am amazed, yet sadly not surprised to see the findings laid out in the report,” said Parry Sound Mayor Jamie McGarvey. “Regardless of how much progress we seem to make, it appears that the homelessness crisis is not going away, and while it may look different in some communities than others, it is something that can only be addressed through the continued collaboration of all levels of government to fund meaningful change.”
Officials say challenges in Northern Ontario are amplified by geographic isolation, limited public transportation, inadequate infrastructure, and systemic inequities, including the overrepresentation of Indigenous populations in homelessness.
“It is deeply concerning that homelessness has increased by 204% in Northern Ontario and that it could increase to 26,663 people by 2035,” says Michelle Boileau, NOSDA Chair and Mayor, City of Timmins. “The impacts on our communities have been devastating. Municipalities cannot face this alone. We need all orders of government to step up and make real commitments to end chronic homelessness across the province. We need decisive action, now.”
