Candidates Q and A: Addressing homelessness

EloraFergusToday asked the candidates running for the four major parties in the Wellington-Halton Hills riding a series of questions about the upcoming election. Responses were limited to 250 words. 

Tonight's question: 'How would you address the issue of homelessness and increased dependency on community organizations?'

Ted Arnott, Progressive Conservative

Many people think homelessness is only a problem in our cities, but I am well aware that there are homeless people in our local communities as well. We need to be caring and supportive, and since every individual situation and circumstance is unique, we need to look for innovative and creative solutions.

Our local community organizations are amazing, our local governments want to do whatever they can, and the Province needs to be supportive of local initiatives to help homeless people find adequate housing. We need to work together to build partnerships, coordinate available resources, and share best practices from other jurisdictions.

We know that many homeless people are young, and are often fleeing an abusive home environment. Some are disabled. Many have addiction or mental health issues. We need to help refer and connect them to available community supports, including education and job training.

Caring communities like ours do not turn a blind eye to those who are in need. We can help them get back on their feet, and on a path to work, independence and self-sufficiency.

Diane Ballantyne, NDP

Everyone deserves a place to call home. While Ford’s Conservatives cut the Housing Program by $161 million even though they had access to $100 million in federal  funding, we will expand the successful, rights-based “housing first” model and deliver 30,000 homes with supports over the next 10 years.

We will also invest to extend the life of 260,000 affordable homes. Unlike Ford, who scrapped the rent control on new units, defending rent increases as high as 57%, the NDP will also provide rent subsidies to 311,000 tenants to help people stay in the homes they have.

We will create a provincial agency, Housing Ontario, to finance and build at least 250,000 units of rent-geared-to-income housing over 10 years. 

Being disabled should not mean a life reliant on the local food bank. Our commitment to living a life with dignity also means we will immediately increase the ODSP and OW rates by 20% and tie yearly increases to inflation. Our various affordability policies, in addition to our increased investments in rent-geared-to-income housing and rent subsidies, will help lift thousands out of poverty and enable charitable organizations to focus their efforts on any gaps that may still remain.

Ryan Karho, Green Party

Greens have a plan to implement a basic income and end poverty. Our plan to address homelessness and the dependency on community organization will:

• Phase in a Basic Income, with the first step being to double ODSP and OW rates and reduce aggressive claw backs.

• Eliminate any unnecessary red tape, reporting requirements, and other barriers typically faced by those needing financial support.
• Maintain all existing supplementary supports that are available with current income assistance programs.
• Include meaningful consultation with people who have lived experience with poverty and existing social assistance programs in the design of all programs and services aimed at client-centred approaches for reducing poverty.
• Annually report disaggregated data on the proportion of the population that experiences chronic homelessness, unmet health needs, food insecurity, lack of literacy, and low-paid work.
• Prohibit “payday” lending that takes advantage of those facing financial hardship as a violation of anti-racketeering laws, and work with credit unions to develop a low-cost, small loan alternative to help people get out of debt.

Tom Takacs, Liberal

We consider access to housing as a human right. We will build more affordable homes and community/supportive housing. We will renovate and build new shelters as a transition to homes for everyone.

By raising the minimum wage to at least $16 per hour, we will assist workers with their costs. We will support municipalities and housing support providers with $100 million per year to promote a Housing First approach to quickly move people into independent permanent housing with comprehensive supports.