Doing Our Part to End Homelessness

Cota supports some of the most vulnerable in our society. Not only do the people we serve live with mental health or cognitive challenges, but the vast majority live on very modest incomes. For most, finding and maintaining affordable housing is a significant challenge. In fact, many are homeless or have experienced episodes of homelessness at some point in their lives.

In Toronto, the issues/challenges relating to homelessness are staggering and continue to grow.

Fast facts relating to the state of affairs in Toronto

Toronto is one of the most expensive places in canada to rent	Toronto is one of the most expensive places in Canada to rent. People living on modest incomes, and certainly those surviving on OW or ODSP cannot afford market rent in Toronto without some sort of financial assistance (housing allowance or rent subsidy) or access to housing made affordable through other means (e.g., affordable housing developments).
> 5,000 homeless people/night	On any given night, it is estimated that there are over 5,000 homeless people in Toronto (2013 Toronto Street Needs Assessment). That number has continued to grow since the first survey was done in 2006.
> 95,280 households waiting for affordable housing	As of December 31, 2015, there were 95,280 households on the total waitlist for affordable housing in Toronto (Housing Connections Quarterly Activity Report). This number translates to 173,816 people within those households who are waiting. This number has continued to grow year over year.
>10,645 People currently waiting for Mental Health & Addictions Supporting Housing	As of March 31, 2016, there were 10,645 people on a coordinated waitlist for mental health and addictions supportive housing in Toronto (Access Point Q4 Data for fiscal 2015-16). This number has also continued to grow year over year.

Cota recognizes that access to safe, stable and affordable housing is an essential social determinant of health for everyone, including the people we support. In fact, research has demonstrated that when you provide affordable housing and support to vulnerable chronic homeless populations (e.g., those living with mental illness), those individuals achieve improved personal outcomes and society experiences cost savings in other areas (e.g., hospital and emergency services).

Our Involvement in the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness

Given the importance of these issues, Cota joined the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness (TAEH) in the fall of 2014 with the intent of doing everything we can to inspire desperately needed change. The TAEH is an association of over 100 individuals representing various organizations that have an interest in ending chronic homelessness in Toronto.

Since joining TAEH, Cota has played a key role in:

• Establishing key objectives for TAEH which include finding homes for 2,000 long-term homeless individuals by July, 2018, as part of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness’ national 20,000 Homes Campaign, and for an additional 3,500 individuals by December 2025.
• Organizing a Collective Impact workshop held on January, 29, 2016 and attended by representatives from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, City of Toronto, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and several TAEH members.
• Contributing to the coordination of a launch event, held on February 22, 2016, where the City of Toronto, in partnership with Bishari Films and the TAEH, hosted a sold out screening of “Lowdown Tracks”, Shelley Saywell’s celebrated documentary that puts a powerful spotlight on the harsh realities of homelessness through the stories of five Toronto street musicians. This event took place at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and brought Toronto into the national 20,000 Homes Campaign and saw the Mayor lend support to TAEH’s goal of housing 2,000 long-term homeless individuals in Toronto by 2018.
• Developing and submitting a submission to the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Collective Impact investment stream to assist in developing a backbone team to lead future work on behalf of the TAEH.

Although we are still in the early stages, we are very optimistic about the impact that the TAEH can have in addressing chronic homelessness in Toronto. Cota remains fully committed to
this cause.

The Impact of Supportive Housing

 

My name is Nick and I have been dealing with mental health issues for years.

As a teenager, I was seeing things and hearing things that weren’t there and I became homeless. For years, I lived in different shelters throughout Toronto. When I was living in a shelter, I became addicted to drugs. I trained myself to act ‘normal’ as much as possible so that no one would really notice that I had mental health issues.

The last shelter I went to taught me harm reduction, and also told me about Cota. I applied to Cota for supportive housing, and have been living at my place ever since.

It has been over four years and life is good. I’m hoping to go back to school to get my high school diploma, and then go to college to learn massage therapy. I want to share with people that once you admit your mental health issues to yourself, it makes it easier to go out and get help.

Hello, my name is Michelle. I am a 27 year old female living in Toronto. I am a client of Cota’s At Home ACT team and have been since October 2010.

As a child I was under the care of the Children’s Aid Society. When I became an adult I was homeless for a very long time.

I am very grateful to Cota’s At Home ACT team as they were able to find me housing and continue to provide me with support. I have a beautiful apartment in a nice area of the city. This apartment is close to the shelter I lived in, so that is good as I know the area. Having a stable place to stay and call my own has been amazing.

I am doing a lot better most of the time, as I do not have to deal with the day to day stressors of the shelter or the streets. Having my own place also makes me feel like I am more independent and have more control over my life.