WELLINGTON COUNTY – As rates of homelessness in Ontario continue to climb, local governments across the province are grappling with the growing crisis.
An estimated 81,515 people are currently experiencing homelessness in Ontario, according to a report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Wellington County and the City of Guelph are sticking to their winter response plan to combat the issue locally.
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“It’s a fairly complicated issue,” said county Warden Chris White. “But at the end of the day, it affects individuals directly …
“We’re trying to design the system and see how we’re going to accommodate people, depending on what their individual circumstances are, and try to find a way to help them.”
According to the AMO report, published on Jan. 9, without significant intervention, homelessness in the province will more than triple by 2035, leaving nearly 295,000 people without stable housing.
In December of 2024 there were 237 local individuals listed by name experiencing homelessness, with 214 residing in Guelph and 23 in Wellington County.
These numbers were down from 290 in November after 63 people were able to obtain permanent housing in Guelph.
“The commitment towards our community’s winter response for individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness attempts to provide sheltered accommodations and, as per the Housing Services mandate, prioritize housing permanency so that individuals do not return to homelessness,” stated White in an email.
Social services administrator Luisa Artuso explained, “we’re offering temporary accommodations to people that are in unsheltered homelessness, and offering them a unit.
“So, either at 128 Norfolk here in Guelph, we have 20 units of that building that are dedicated for people who are in encampments to transition and come in from … the cold. We’re also having people stay in hotels.”
Those in hotels are required to have a housing plan and must participate in health services they need on a regular basis. Those in temporary housing are also given the opportunity to have a storage unit to house their belongings.
“We’re also budgeting for tangibles to provide anybody who is remaining in unsheltered homelessness with tents, sleeping bags, pillows,” said Artuso.
“We’ve done a consultation with an advisory group that we have with people with this experience, and we went out and consulted with people that are in encampments, asking them what they need.
“We’ve been purchasing those items and supplying them to just ensure that they’re staying safe and warm as best as possible during the winter months.
“There’s also a component of that plan that talks about food security and hygiene products, so delivering snacks, and you know, any sorts of food that we can provide to them.”
The county’s winter response plan also covers transportation, allowing individuals to attend appointments, travel to and from their storage units, etc., with costs divided between the county and the city.
“We’re tracking the expenses, and they will be cost shared between the city and the county based on the use of funds for each area,” Artuso said.
“As of December, 35 people in Guelph have moved from an encampment, and they’re saying either at Norfolk at a hotel, and there’s 21 people in the county that are being temporarily accommodated in a hotel, and over $20,000 has been sent spent on tangible items.”
In an attempt to offset these costs, on Jan. 3 the county submitted an application for the Encampment Response Initiative to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
According to data shared by White, the number of homeless individuals in Wellington-Guelph has increased by over 50 per cent between 2020 and 2024.
When asked what factors he thinks are driving homelessness locally, White told the Advertiser he believes fixed wages, lack of affordable housing, addiction, domestic violence and “renovictions” are among the common driving factors.
“There’s a whole pile of reasons why someone might end up on the (by name) list, right? Some of them are specific, event driven. Some of them are longer term. Some of them are chronic illness. Some of them are just economics. Some of them are losing your job,” he said.
“So, you can’t really pinpoint one and say, ‘You know, we’ll fix this, and you cure the issue.’ It’s almost to some degree, a case-by-case basis. Then look at the individual circumstances and see what you can do to help.”
