Juno News - August 05, 2022


Toronto's shelter program keeps people homeless and dependent


Episode Stats

Length

8 minutes

Words per Minute

152.01486

Word Count

1,309

Sentence Count

81


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.240 Behind me is the Strathcona Hotel, one of three downtown hotels the city has leased
00:00:05.960 over the last two and a half years to house homeless clients.
00:00:10.240 These hotels have completely changed the complexion of the downtown neighbourhoods where they
00:00:15.280 are located.
00:00:17.280 We met Scott Tulpin, who is a homeless client at the Strathcona Hotel.
00:00:22.640 The 31-year-old man works for a living, which appears to be a rarity in the homeless population
00:00:29.700 of Toronto.
00:00:30.700 Now, you work, but you're still living in the hotel-shelter system.
00:00:35.380 Yeah.
00:00:36.380 Why is that?
00:00:37.380 Well, it's really hard to escape poverty when every time you turn around and try and get
00:00:42.780 out, the economic bar has been raised, rent is more expensive, and the quality of housing
00:00:49.460 that you get isn't the same.
00:00:51.100 If I was making a certain amount of money, I should be able to afford my own house and
00:00:54.420 escape poverty.
00:00:55.420 But when I go back, I live in welfare bum homes, drug dens and all that, because that's the
00:01:01.420 only affordable housing at my level, because rents have gone up and it's just like, what
00:01:07.900 else can I afford at this point?
00:01:09.420 So it's beyond your reach.
00:01:10.420 Yeah.
00:01:11.420 Even though you're working.
00:01:12.420 Yeah.
00:01:13.420 Unlike the narrative that is coming from Toronto City Hall and Mayor John Tory that the homeless
00:01:17.640 clients in these hotels are getting job counseling and housing assistance, Scott says he hasn't
00:01:25.800 spoken to anyone in the months since he's been in the shelter to help him with anything.
00:01:32.320 I haven't talked to anyone besides when I did my initial intake.
00:01:36.860 And it's really bizarre because back in the day, you would have a whole plan of care where
00:01:41.840 your social worker would talk to you about your employment goals, your education goals,
00:01:47.380 the health care you needed, mental health resources, and all these other things.
00:01:52.600 But there's no responsibility.
00:01:55.440 There's no accountability.
00:01:57.200 It's just free reign in these places.
00:01:59.720 So nobody's putting together a plan of care for you in the Strathcona right now.
00:02:04.780 You have no goals to work towards.
00:02:06.440 No.
00:02:07.440 No one has talked to me about my life at all.
00:02:10.120 Like I just wake up in the morning, go to work, come back.
00:02:13.480 My meals are set in my room and that's it.
00:02:17.360 Scott spoke of the rampant drug dealing in the two shelters where he has been located,
00:02:24.160 the Delta Hotel and this one behind me, and the fact that there are absolutely no consequences
00:02:32.220 for bad behavior.
00:02:33.820 The Delta is by far, far worse than the Strathcona where I'm staying right now.
00:02:39.940 You had people of all ages, some 15 years old, and in the care of Children's Aid, and they'd
00:02:48.500 be living and housed co-ed with people who are 50 years old, criminal record, alcoholics, drug addicts.
00:02:59.580 It was all there.
00:03:00.380 I witnessed sexual assaults, I witnessed physical assaults.
00:03:05.520 It was just unbelievable.
00:03:07.180 I'd walk down the hallways and people would be like, do you want to buy drugs?
00:03:10.740 And this is just me trying to access my room.
00:03:13.060 I don't know these people.
00:03:14.940 And here they are soliciting drugs.
00:03:16.860 Hey, I actually changed my mind, uh, is there anything I can get for five bucks?
00:03:23.820 The staff kept me up all night last night, and I need something to just pick me up.
00:03:27.920 Come in.
00:03:29.680 Smoke it or shoot it?
00:03:31.460 Oh, I'm just gonna smash it and sniff it.
00:03:34.700 You're gonna smash it?
00:03:36.340 Well, I don't know the technical terms.
00:03:38.280 I don't usually do this stuff.
00:03:39.460 If I only did it back in my younger years.
00:03:44.500 Okay.
00:03:45.000 Thanks.
00:03:45.500 That's a good one.
00:03:48.500 What's the problem you're here?
00:03:52.480 There's a drug problem in every shelter in the city, whether it be a hostel, dorm style
00:04:01.300 situation or the hotels.
00:04:03.620 And I would say sometimes in the hotels, it's even worse because you can go hide in your
00:04:09.220 room in the shelter, but you can't do that in a dorm style.
00:04:13.380 So I'd say the hotels could actually be a little bit more dangerous because they're not visible
00:04:20.740 or interacting because they can just hide in their room all day.
00:04:24.180 As I've tried to make it very clear during my years covering the homeless cause,
00:04:28.340 I am not against providing the homeless with assistance when they're down and out.
00:04:35.460 What I've found though, in my travels, is that a huge amount of money is being poured into
00:04:42.900 what has become an industry that provides the homeless with a handout, but not a hand up.
00:04:50.340 Well, they give you supports.
00:04:51.780 There's just no accountability.
00:04:53.140 Like you can give someone food, you can give them clothing, you can give them hygiene,
00:04:59.300 you can give them all the resources they need.
00:05:01.940 The city will even give people cell phones so that they aren't as isolated and can
00:05:08.260 talk to their probation officer or maybe get a job interview.
00:05:12.820 So they give free cell phones to homeless residents as well?
00:05:18.500 Yeah. Basically all that stuff that they're providing, it's just free stuff.
00:05:22.500 They don't actually counsel anyone properly.
00:05:25.620 That's what I meant.
00:05:26.740 Do they counsel?
00:05:27.780 Do they give them any mental health counseling?
00:05:30.100 Any employment counseling?
00:05:32.180 Nothing.
00:05:32.660 No, nothing.
00:05:33.380 You're working.
00:05:34.260 Are there others who are working?
00:05:35.860 I have not met a single person that works there.
00:05:38.980 And in fact, in my homeless stint, I've only met one other person.
00:05:43.140 Well, two actually that have had employment, but it's like a needle in a haystack.
00:05:48.340 Like there's no motivation for anyone to work because why would you work when you can
00:05:54.020 maintain your addiction and be provided housing and food and all these other things?
00:06:00.420 I'm not saying that we shouldn't provide people with these things, but there's also
00:06:05.380 the accountability aspect that is gravely neglected in all of these situations.
00:06:10.900 You had this theory about work first versus homes first. Explain that to me.
00:06:15.460 Well, homes first is the idea that they should focus on housing and get someone housed before
00:06:22.420 they even address any of the other problems that that person may be experiencing.
00:06:28.100 And it's a great idea because it sounds great.
00:06:32.420 Like get these people housing, that's going to help them.
00:06:34.980 But first of all, you don't want to just throw someone who is experiencing addiction
00:06:39.380 and mental health issues into a house on their own where they're going to have even less
00:06:44.100 interaction with the outside world and community.
00:06:48.180 And on top of that, you should be focusing on work first, because once you start working,
00:06:54.340 you can afford housing, at least in an ideal economy.
00:06:58.340 But not even just that, you can make sure that your work is located close to your house,
00:07:04.420 so that that saves you time and energy so that you don't have to go through
00:07:09.220 all that hassle of taking transit for an hour and a half to get to work in the morning.
00:07:16.100 And especially if you're in a mental health and addiction state, you're not going to have
00:07:20.980 necessarily the same energy or motivation to get to work.
00:07:24.180 So any barriers that you reduce on your way there, it's just common sense really, right?
00:07:30.340 What Scott suggested very strongly is that there's absolutely no incentive in these shelters
00:07:36.980 to become a viable member of society. In other words, to end homelessness.
00:07:42.660 I don't think anyone in this city has actually experienced real levels of poverty,
00:07:48.100 just because we live such a privileged lifestyle.
00:07:52.020 Are you talking about homeless people or people beyond being homeless?
00:07:54.820 People in general. Our modern life is so convenient and there's not as many challenges
00:08:03.220 as back in the day where you would have to break your back just to have three square meals a day
00:08:08.500 and a roof over your head. The game has completely changed.
00:08:12.420 For True North, I'm Sue Ann Levy.
00:08:18.100 Thanks.
00:08:21.700 Thank you.
00:08:35.700 etc.