The true suffers of the never-ending pandemic

COVID-19 has been an enemy of ours for almost two full years here in GTA. The virus has impacted our day-to-day lives for the worse, forcing businesses to close, people to lose their jobs, worldwide lockdowns, and the loss of lives of millions of neighbors, friends and family members. One thing that has been gravely affected, is the surge of homelessness caused by the pandemic. People are losing their jobs, cutting funds, dealing with poor mental health

and the price increase on homes in Toronto are just a few causes for this recent surge. The pandemic teems with unpredictability, causing these factors to leave citizens hopeless and afraid. Homeless shelters are doing what they can but there has been many reported outbreaks from countless shelters all over the city. According to the TPH (Toronto Public Health), there have been over 1,000 COVID-19 cases in Toronto linked to homeless shelters. These shelters are the homeless’ only hope; they rely on them for their basic necessities! If homeless shelters aren’t safe for their health, where would they go instead? This only leads to more people on the streets, increasing transmission of the virus and reducing quality of life for all the habitants of the GTA and even Canada. One study showed that people who are homeless are 20 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19, 10 times more likely to be in intensive care and 5 times more likely to die within 21 days after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result. This goes to show how unsafe it is for them to be outside, much less interacting with others, during a pandemic. Especially with a deadly virus, people who are

homeless don’t have the proper living conditions to be treated well if tested positive for the said virus. Homes aren’t the only thing getting more expensive; the cost of essential items has gone up as well. This has only led the homeless to live in far worse conditions than before. A survey done during the COVID-19 pandemic has reported that 1.6 million Canadians have been homeless themselves. A significant increase compared to the estimated 235,000 Canadians that experienced homelessness in 2016, there are now more people than ever who are homeless, having little access to necessary supports and being in fear of their life due to this everchanging virus. It does not aid the problem that the many cuts to COVID-19 funding systems by the government have increased the number of people who do not have homes. Those funding's are essential to Canadians, let alone Toronto, which is the largest and most populated city in Canada. It provides people with a chance, to improve their life for themselves as well as for their families. It gives them ways to restart, to re-establish and to have the successful and happy life we all have the right to experience. With all these factors weighing down the homeless, it is our responsibility to make sure they can manage during the winter with the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

Work Cited:

1. Butts, Heather. “Shelter Outbreaks Leave People Experiencing Homelessness Even More Vulnerable during COVID-19.” CTVNews, CTV News, 22 Mar. 2021, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/shelter-outbreaks-leave-people-experiencing-homelessness-even-more-vulnerable-during-covid-19-1.5356600.

2. Cousins, Ben. “Canada's Rate of Homelessness May Be Higher than Reported: Nanos Survey.” CTVNews, CTV News, 12 Aug. 2020, www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-rate-of-homelessness-may-be-higher-than-reported-nanos-survey-1.5060801.

3. “Pandemic Is Creating a New Type of Homelessness, Says Outreach Worker | CBC Radio.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 13 Oct. 2020, www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-oct-12-2020-1.5757769/pandemic-is-creating-a-new-type-of-homelessness-says-outreach-worker-1.5757770.

Writer: Sarah Osman (Editor from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Editor: Pallavi Hooda (Editor lead from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Researcher: Kaavya Patel (Researcher from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Date published: January 26th 2022