The number of homeless encampments in Toronto is once again on the rise, after falling last year to a quarter of their footprint during the pandemic.
With twice as many camps this May as there were a year prior, it represents another symptom of the city’s deepening homelessness crisis.
It’s a rise that corresponds with system-wide pressures: there are simply more people homeless in Toronto this year than last, and for several months the number of people turned away from shelters has been rising. City hall meanwhile expects to shut down two of its pandemic-era shelters by late summer, at a time whenTo Lorraine Lam, an outreach worker in the downtown east, the surge doesn’t come as any surprise, given the rising toll of homelessness in the city as a whole.
In interviews with the Star, encampment occupants have cited many reasons for turning to life outside, though many have cited fear of theft or violence in shelters. In recent years,, attributed to crowding, inadequate mental health supports and the opioid crisis. This year, as the number of known camps has again surged, they’re spread across the city, from Scarborough City Centre to the Humber Arboretum and Trinity Square, though several of the most common spots are in the downtown east, including roughly a quarter in Allan Gardens.
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