If you don’t have a place to come home to, wellbeing cannot exist

Photography by Dana Nosella

Written by the London Community Foundation

A home is more than just four walls. It’s about connection, community, safety and belonging. Unfortunately, thousands of children, seniors and vulnerable adults in our community can’t count on this basic need.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted our community’s most vulnerable and exacerbated London’s housing crisis, increasing the urgency and breadth of this issue. More than ever before, we recognize the importance of having a safe and secure place to call home.

During the pandemic many shelters and housing organizations struggled to house people while abiding by physical distancing standards. As a result, individuals were temporarily housed in hotels and motels. Although not a permanent solution, a silver lining emerged as we began to see improvements in the overall well-being of these clients.

From our conversations with applicants to our LCF COVID-19 Response Fund, we began to hear increasing validation for the housing first model – moving people who are experiencing homelessness into permanent and independent housing. Once people were given a consistent place to come home to, the benefits of having a home were evident. With greater stability comes improved mental and physical well-being and a greater sense of connection and belonging.

Our community is only as strong as its most vulnerable person and we must address the issue of homelessness if we want our community to thrive.

With rising costs, housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable in our community. There are currently 5000 Londoners on the waitlist for rent geared to income housing. For the 72,000 Londoners living in poverty, affordable housing in our community has become simply impossible. If we wish to address the root causes of homelessness we must first address issues of income inequality. Providing citizens with a universal basic income will allow them to meet their basic needs and live with dignity and respect.

In addition, we know that many of the affordable housing options that are available do not meet basic standards of safety and adequacy. The data tells us that 13% of Londoners are living in unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable housing. Moreover, we see these issues compounded with the intersection of race and ethnicity with 17% of Indigenous and 39% of our newcomer communities living in core housing need. 

It’s clear that our community’s supply of housing does not meet the demand. There is an urgent need to increase the stock of affordable housing and provide a variety of options that cater to different needs. Housing and homelessness is a spectrum and we must be able to provide appropriate solutions to meet the needs of tenants wherever they are at. Our community is diverse and our housing should reflect that.

Housing is the foundation of well-being and is at the root of many other pressing issues such as poverty, mental and physical health, addiction, and employment. When we provide people with a home, we have the potential to transform their lives.

There is not only one solution and solving this will require a collaborative effort. We must work together to ensure no one is left behind.