Toronto is hosting the World Cup for Soccer. It's Time We House Our Neighbours Too.

Crisis in Our City did not start as a homelessness organization. It began as a human response to a human emergency.

When the African refugee crisis in 2023 brought thousands of people to Toronto’s doorstep, it was not the government that moved first. It was faith communities, ordinary neighbours, and places of worship, including mosques, churches, and synagogues, that opened their doors and said simply: these are people, and they need help. What was meant to be a temporary response to an urgent moment slowly revealed something that could not be ignored. The emergency did not end. It shape-shifted. The people we were supporting were not just refugees. They were joining a growing population of people falling through the cracks of a city and a system that was struggling to hold them.

What we witnessed mirrored what Canadians had seen before. When COVID-19 swept through this country, it did not affect everyone equally. Seniors, racialized communities and

people from historically marginalized neighbourhoods were hit first and hardest. The pandemic did not create those inequalities. It exposed them. It showed us, in real time, what

happens when systems are built without everyone in mind, whether by design or by neglect.

The African refugee crisis revealed similar patterns. We saw governments act quickly and compassionately to establish pathways and support systems for refugees fleeing conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. These responses were both appropriate and essential. However, when community organizers met with government officials to discuss the needs of refugees from African countries, the questions that arose were revealing. Instead of asking, “What do these people need?” the focus was on “How are they entering?” When questions arose about extending similar support to these communities, officials responded that these groups were categorized differently because they might someday return home. This implies that the hope of returning to a stable homeland is a privilege for some refugees but not others. Every refugee carries that same hope. The way they are received upon arrival depends less on their circumstances and more on whether the systems designed for them consider their needs.

This isn't about pitting communities against each other. It's not about black versus white, rich versus poor, or one crisis over another. Instead, it's about recognizing a common underlying issue in all these situations. We keep relying on outdated systems that weren't built to support everyone, and we're constantly surprised when they fail the same people over and over.

Homelessness in Toronto reflects this same narrative. The city has long depended on the staircase model, which assumes that individuals experiencing homelessness can achieve stability by progressing through stages, starting from emergency shelter, then moving to transitional housing, addiction treatment, and mental health support, before qualifying for a permanent residence. Finland observed this approach and acknowledged what frontline workers have recognized for years: for those facing chronic homelessness, this staircase is a dead end. The obstacles are too great, the wait times are too long, and many fall through the cracks before reaching the top.

Finland adopted a core principle: housing is a fundamental human right. The Housing First model ensures that people get permanent housing right away, without needing to prove sobriety, employment, or readiness. After placement, support services are tailored to each individual's needs and pace. 

Over roughly fifteen years, Finland reduced homelessness by approximately 75 percent through its Housing First approach, demonstrating that homelessness can be ended rather than simply managed.

Canada already recognized housing as a fundamental human right in 2019 through the National Housing Strategy Act. The question for Toronto is what it would look like to treat that commitment as more than words on paper.

Toronto has all the essentials to take the lead in this effort. 

We already have community organizations actively engaged, along with vacant city-owned land, underused parking garages, and empty buildings that can temporarily shelter people while longer-term solutions are developed. Our economic influence gives us the power to insist on genuine collaboration from Queen's Park and Ottawa. What has been lacking is the political resolve to compel all levels of government to come together and stay until they agree on a concrete plan.

Instead, we have watched respite centres close before anything replaced them. We have watched red tape move faster than compassion. And we have watched this city find the urgency to spend hundreds of millions preparing for FIFA 2026, while nearly 1,500 people were identified as sleeping outdoors in Toronto's most recent Street Needs Assessment.

We want to be clear: we support FIFA and want Toronto to succeed, benefiting our city, businesses, and communities, while warmly welcoming the world. Toronto deserves this celebration. Ideally, we would host the event without seeing people sleeping on grates and suffering in ways many can't imagine. We love this city and country and want everyone to succeed, but that's not the case right now.

Toronto is often regarded as the country's economic engine, shaping our national identity. There's no reason this city can't also lead by example in showing the world what it means to create a system that includes everyone. Not merely managing homelessness, but ending it, from a place of dignity, compassion, and with the same passionate resolve we apply to all our most important issues.

On June 24th, Crisis in Our City, in partnership with the Mary Ward Centre, is organizing a peaceful, interfaith community 2 KM walk starting at 10:30 AM at the northwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square. Participants, including students, community advocates, interfaith leaders, and residents, will walk through the city’s core, reflecting on issues such as homelessness, human dignity, Indigenous land and displacement, and the legal right to housing. The walk will end at Nathan Phillips Square with a public call to action and the delivery of a petition to Mayor Olivia Chow's office.

Because this is not just something to write about. It is something to act on.

No one should be sleeping on the streets of the wealthiest city in this country. We have known this for a long time. On June 24th, we are asking Toronto to walk with us and finally

mean it.

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Crisis in Our City is a Toronto-based community initiative advocating for safe sleeping spaces, shelter solutions and support for people experiencing homelessness. To join the

walk or sign the petition visit crisisinourcity.ca. 

The Mary Ward Centre for Education, Spirituality and Justice is a Ministry of the Loretto Sisters based in Toronto. Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, the Centre promotes peace,

justice and the integrity of creation through education, advocacy and community action. Learn more at marywardcentre.ca.

Sign our petition: https://c.org/9GQ4wFLymF

Sources

• CBC News: City of Toronto releases findings of 2024 Street Needs Assessment homelessness survey

• CBC News: Toronto homelessness emergency changes warming centres

• FEANTSA: Housing First in Finland

• World Habitat: Helsinki Is Still Leading the Way in Ending Homelessness

• Centre for Public Impact: Eradicating Homelessness in Finland

• Good Good Good: Finland's Housing First Approach

• National Housing Strategy Act (2019)

• Crisis in Our City

• Mary Ward Centre