Many people among us are close to the edge, which is another reason to demonstrate compassion

Jeff Hayward

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7 min read

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Nov 10, 2023

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In my city of Hamilton, Ontario, the number of visible tents for the unhoused is growing, with homelessness not surprisingly also seeing an upward trend here in recent years.

But while most people just walk by these encampments, many don’t realize that it could be them huddling in a tent during a cold winter.

All it takes is a health complication (mental or physical), an accident, divorce or estrangement, a minor criminal charge, or a number of other factors that can lead to homelessness.

As almost half of respondents to a poll are living paycheck to paycheck, and Canadian household debt is the highest among G7 countries. An unexpected illness leading to less income or a big expense can be devastating.

I always flinch when I read “get a job” or something equally as heartless in the comments about a homeless encampment in my city. Especially since even people with a job can find affording shelter difficult–especially in an expensive rental market like Toronto’s, with the average rent for a 1-bedroom over $2,500 per month.

That rental figure is up 11% from last year, which is interesting, because the legal limit for rent increases in Ontario (where Toronto is) is 2.5% a year. So that points to landlords raising rent more than is allowed, which is more than some tenants can handle.

There’s also a strong trend of renovictions in Hamilton (my city, about an hour’s drive from Toronto depending on traffic.) If you’re not familiar with this term, you should be, especially if you’re renting a home or apartment.

It’s the practice of kicking out tenants under the guise of “home improvements,” often just a way to bring in a new tenant willing to pay more.

Apparently, there is an “anti-renoviction” bylaw being considered in Hamilton, but I have not heard much about it recently. The article that outlines this proposal also mentions another issue with renting — that landlords letting conditions get horrible in hopes of the tenant leaving voluntarily.

I have read stories about apartment buildings in this city with no running water for months, as an example. Other landlords are ignoring complaints about bedbugs, which have overrun this tenant’s space.

How many people would be willing to stay put when they’re being bitten by pests daily, or have no hot water to clean themselves? Would you?

However, where do these people go? A decent apartment may cost several times more than what they’ve paid for a space for years, before being forced out. Many of these people avoid shelters because there’s drug use and theft that take place, so they make their own homes where they can.

Our city council has reportedly approved tent encampments, leading to an official protocol. But the process was met with resounding resistance from residents who don’t feel safe around the unhoused.

My own experience is that most unhoused folks are not aggressive. While yes, there can be violence associated with homelessness, it’s not exclusive to the unhoused. In fact, a homeless person isn’t more likely to break the law than a housed person.

Meanwhile, a recent meeting about building “tiny homes” in one ward of this city became a near-riot. It’s interesting that some people don’t approve of living in tents but also fight hard to ensure the homeless don’t have affordable housing.

The snowball effect leads to living on the streets

The popular belief is that homeless people have all done something wrong to end up where they are, that they somehow deserve it. People say they should just get a job, but the reality is that homelessness makes it much more difficult to land employment.

Most people take for granted that they can groom themselves with hot water, as well as don professional-looking clothes for an interview. If you’re homeless, those two things are luxuries.

Then, there are the expectations of previous work. Someone living in a tent may not have worked for some time due to their circumstances, but will still have to explain the gap in their resume. “Trying to survive” is probably not what a recruiter wants to hear.

When I lived in Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, I would regularly engage with those who asked for money on the streets. Not to say they were homeless — I made no assumptions — but I met some interesting characters you might not expect.

For example, I remember one guy told me he had a Master’s degree in science, and was doing well professionally until he got ill and addicted to drugs.

In the process he lost his family, and without a strong support network, he found himself asking for change. He was a very well-spoken person, and still had a sense of pride. He was so grateful when I handed him a few dollars.

That’s a good example of a snowball effect that can change a seemingly comfortable life into one of scrounging for food. While many people have family they can rely on for money and support when things get tough — I know I have — many people do not have this safety net.

Add to that the fact that Toronto’s shelters and mental health clinics are close to overflowing, and many people aren’t getting the immediate care they need. This may lead to self-medication and even crime out of desperation. I don’t think I need to explain how even a minor conviction can make it difficult to land a job.

Luckily, there are some charities in my city that do outreach, as well as private citizens shedding light on those who are unhoused.

However, as this article I wrote for the local paper way back in 2007 shows, some people still slip through the cracks — even in a small community like the one I worked in at the time.

As the article points out, homelessness doesn’t always mean sleeping rough. It can mean bunking in a friend or family’s living room, which can put pressure on relationships.

Show compassion–it could be you, or someone you love

It makes me sad that so many people seem to have no empathy for the homeless, despite many of them living precariously themselves.

Rising rents, inflation, and unemployment rates in this province are forcing more people to make tough decisions — like feeding themselves or having a roof over their heads.

I am guilty of walking past homeless people without acknowledging them.

There’s frankly too many of them out there, and I don’t have the mental or material resources to help them much. But I will never complain about a human being living in a tent, trying to survive another harsh winter that’s coming to Canada.

I contribute where I can, even giving all proceeds from my first photo book to a homeless charity in Hamilton. (It only amounted to about $250, but I’d like to think it helped at least a few people.)

As someone experienced with mental illness (but thankfully also has access to healthcare), and has had to leave groceries at the checkout because their credit card got declined, I know I’d probably be in trouble without the moral (and financial) support from my family.

I know that if I had stayed in my reporting job in the small town I wrote for, I’d probably be unemployed now due to massive employment cuts. I’m not sure how I’d fare as someone without a home, or eating cold food out of a can — and I hope never to find out.

The next time you shake your head at someone asking for change on the sidewalk, or post online about how encampments will impact your home’s property value, try to be more human for a moment.

We all suffer to different degrees, and much of our well-being is tied to getting help from others — that comes in the form of emotional or monetary support.

Think about what would happen to you if you were bipolar, as an example, and ended up on a long waitlist for therapy, or couldn’t afford the meds to manage the condition.

Think about how easily you could get injured, leading to job loss, abandonment, and addiction, which is not an easy cycle to break (if you don’t believe me, put down your phone for a full day.)

Think about your mindset if you lived on the street, and just wanted to stay alive. The energy expended just by finding food and getting reportedly harassed by police alone would be enough to make some people give up.

Personally, if I lived on the streets, I would not be getting up each day and thinking, “This is the day I wow a potential employer with my charm!” or “wow, my mental illnesses preventing me from functioning in society are gone!”

Remember that many people — including maybe you — are one major mishap away from asking for change from people like they used to be.