Preparing for Rising Homelessness

I have an op-ed in today’s Toronto Star.  The piece stems largely from a policy paper I wrote on homelessness earlier this year, and that I blogged about here.

In today’s op-ed, I argue that homelessness rises after a recession, but that there’s a lag effect.  To be sure, after the recession of the early 1990s, homelessness in Toronto (as measured by the use of emergency shelters) increased very substantially, but several years after the recession had officially ended.  I argue in the op-ed that all three levels of government can and should act to prevent what will likely be a substantial increase in homelessness.  Municipal politicians can make homelessness a priority in upcoming elections, provincial governments can fund more rent supplements for low-income households, and the federal government can make pemanent–and increase funding for–the Homelessness Partnering Strategy.