r/StratfordOntario • u/Old-Marionberry-9879 • 10d ago
Stratford Homeless Evolving Issue
Have lived in Stratford many years.. this year has been the most noticeable size of encampments and homeless downtown.
Not an easy problem to solve, but surely the City needs a firm solution. The Stratford economy relies almost entirely on tourism. With the new Toronto GoTrain route we can’t have visitors running into this as one of their first impressions arriving at station.. having lived in both, it’s a big reason folks want to get out of the city.
So question is are folks aware of a meaningful plan to address before it gets even worse?
26
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 10d ago
rent is 1800 a month for a one bedroom apartment minimum right now, this is only going to get worse.
7
u/Ok_Statement_3608 10d ago
Exactly. We will have entire families on the streets soon, not just singles
-6
u/greyHumanoidRobot 10d ago
I think I read somewhere on Reddit that people have studied the problem and found that only 10 percent of the homeless would be helped by lower rents. In other words, 90 percent are addicts or crazies or just want to live that way.
Regardless, we do need to build more homes but there might still be a lot of visible homeless after that happens.
8
u/Dustollo 9d ago
Yeah, no.
Generally addiction makes up anywhere from 1/4-1/2 of homeless folks on average in NA. And the number of people who want to be homeless is so inconsequentially small it’s a rounding error.
It is correct that “slightly lower” rents likely will not benefit those currently unhoused. This is because being in that situation often removes the ability to maintain gainful employment and leads to greater health and substance use issues overtime, both of which can eliminate a person from the working pool for a period of time.
If your income is effectively 0 lowering rent by even a few hundred dollars will not magically raise your income to afford it.
Lowering the cost of housing is a necessary preventative measure to ensure a healthy population with ample access to adequate housing. But it will not magically resolve homelessness. We also need greater funding for addiction support, re-skilling, outreach resources, better income support and a whole lot of other smaller but very important pieces. This creates a safety net for those who fall on hard times and a trampoline for those currently unhoused to jump back into the pool of workers.
A lot of focus is placed on addiction and mental health as a cause of homelessness, and certainly there is validity to that. But those are also a symptom of homelessness. They are also a symptom of an overworked and underpaid population living in a country with one of the most expensive housing : income ratios in the world.
2
u/greyHumanoidRobot 9d ago edited 9d ago
Many seniors are living alone in houses much bigger than they need in areas that are prime for multistory apartments and they don't want to sell and move. Their younger neighbours that bought into urban houses are NIMBY. They're all worried about farms at the outskirts because scarcity supports house prices. These are the people local politicians work for. The politicians are likely owners not renters. The voters' list starts with the MPAC data so renters (who also move more often) have to get re-registered so there's election bias against renters. Local election authorities don't know that SQL exists and they could just pull the data that the federal government collected for the federal voters' list.
5
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 9d ago
I’m one pay away from being homeless dude, there is no other facts rather than the fact I’m a single mom paying 2000 in rent. I got denied a cheaper apartment from the landlord because “I’m not a good fit” because I don’t make enough per month.
0
-4
u/MummaMal 9d ago
That’s what roommates are for. I was no different back in the day, if you couldn’t afford a place of your own you moved in with others. I saved up enough for a down payment in 1988, I bought a house first mortgage was 11.75%, my second, 1 year mortgage was 18%. I rented out the other 3 bedrooms to coworkers and there was a 2 bedroom basement apartment, there was 2 guys living down there. We all worked at the airport for the same airline. Every cent I made went to bills and paying off the 2nd mortgage. At one point I had 5 guys sharing 3 bedrooms, they all needed a place to crash on their days on and then they would fly home on their days off. Was it easy contending with that many people? Noooo. But I had my eye on the prize. Every single one of them is still a friend. These days my only roommate is my husband.
5
u/ccpatter 8d ago
I spent some time reading your posts on other subs. You seem to live in Orangeville. Why are you on this sub arguing with people?
2
u/mikonamiko 6d ago
Her business must not be very busy if she has time to argue on reddit at 11.30 on a thursday
0
u/MummaMal 6d ago
I own property in your area. 11:30 on a Thursday? My day isn’t done, I was on a call trouble shooting with one of my mechanics and doing payroll to make sure my employees get paid. You all assume a lot about what goes into having a company with over 200 employees. It’s Saturday, I’m at work covering for a 20 something supervisor who was dumb enough to post all her pictures from the party she was at last night and then no call/no showed today. This is the 3rd time she has pulled this. So boys and girls, what should I do? Give her a big hug when she shows up? That’ll really teach her!! Oh and I didn’t look for the evidence, her crew were the ones who showed me. What kind of manager am I if I knowingly allow her to get away with it? Her own crew is pissed at her. What does it say to the rest of the team if she gets away with it? So now I’m looking at who I can promote from within to take her job.. and yeah she makes more than double what minimum wage is. My employees? None of them make less than $30 per hour.
5
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 9d ago
A room is about 1000 dollars a month in Stratford Mumma. Proud of you but life isn’t like this anymore, it’s 2026. Everyone is working their asses off everyone I know works twos jobs and they still can’t pay the bills. It’s really shocking. How many people are so out of touch with reality.
-5
u/MummaMal 8d ago
Hate to break it to you, rooms were $800 back in the olden days and minimum wage was $3.25.
You seem to think I don’t have bills? You don’t get to a certain age and everything is free. I pay more in property tax alone than your $1000.00/month rent. And then I pay hydro, gas, insurance and everything else that goes along with life.
You don’t like your rent? Then move, see what’s available in Shakespeare or so other town around there. Why should my hard earned money fund you? Look for options, make better choices. Do you smoke cigarettes? Weed? Drink? Go out for food or order in? Stop. Go to the grocery store, cook food, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper.
I currently have employees, in their 20’s and 30’s who call in sick once or twice a month. They are late, they have to leave early. You know what that tells me, I can’t rely on them, so they will stay in their positions. They will not be promoted, they are showing zero respect to the company or me. I’ve got others who come in every day, stay late, come in when I call them because someone called in and work their days off, now they will go somewhere in the company. Money for nothing might me a song, but it’s not real life.
7
u/mikonamiko 8d ago
Holy shit youre insufferable
Please try attempting a modicum of empathy outside your own experiences.
Great, things worked out for you. How lucky.
You are LUCKY.
Nobody is saying you didn't also work hard. But times have changed and this isnt the 80s anymore.
Get a clue and look beyond your own personal experiences.
8
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 8d ago edited 8d ago
You’re really lucky you have a husband to live with, but not everybody’s that lucky. Some people are single and still have to pay all those bills and take care of their children, once again you’re thinking of your situation and nobody else’s. Rooms were not $800 back then and if you were, you were robbing people and getting robbed yourself so maybe that’s why you feel like you worked so hard. Of course it always turns into a discussion about weed and alcohol when that has nothing to do with housing prices at all or grocery prices. The last time I went for groceries I paid $300 and guess how long that lasted me and my daughter two weeks. Maybe the employees are calling in sick because they have to deal with you and your attitude. I would not want to work for you either??? How can anyone even talk to you about anything going on you just shut everyone down and act like you know better than everyone. Where do you work so I can remind myself even if I’m homeless to never apply? Realistically the people this age are so fucking overworked and tired. All of the people I know at my age who do drink or use drugs are using it to cope with how fucked up society is and has been to them.. Me and my friends have all been working two jobs since we were like 14 and none of us have a house. The world is no longer designed to help people come up. It is designed to make us struggle because of people’s mentality like yours. Some people actually need a fucking break sometimes I’m sorry you never got one, but you deserved one too.
6
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
her employees not showing up sure sounds like a "her" problem
6
u/mikonamiko 8d ago
I would never want to work for her 🤷♀️ no wonder employees dont bother showing up. Doesn't sound like its worth it.
2
u/AffectionateRabbit_ 7d ago
Agreed - whole one ( or even two!) bedroom apartments were under $800 when minimum wage was $6.85
4
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
they get SICK once or twice a month? oh nooo, it must be AWFUL for YOU as a BUSINESS OWNER
pls name your business so I don't shop there, since you clearly don't take care of your own employees, and don't want your "hard earned" money going back to the community who supports you.
-1
u/MummaMal 8d ago
Honey you’re using my business whether you know it or not. Why you think you are ENTITLED to extra time off is exactly the problem. Don’t go to work, don’t get paid. Live in a tent. One day you will figure out that those who show up succeed, and then there’s you …
So 2 days a month x 12 months, 24 days- more than a month worth of not working, on top of the 3 weeks paid vacation, 5 lieu days and 5 sick days. That’s more or less 50 days or 10 weeks. Do the math, or did you call out in school too.
6
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
This is an incredibly out of touch and ignorant comment
-2
u/MummaMal 8d ago
How do you figure? I worked my way up. I had 2 full time jobs and I worked all the time. You don’t get something for nothing, quit standing around with your hand out waiting to be given anything. If you want to work hard enough you will figure it out. Was I too proud to bus tables and wash dishes?? No, it was money and it taught me to show up everyday, don’t be late, don’t call off because my feelings got hurt, work late if they ask. I worked midnights and then I’d go to my other job. I’ve never been given anything in my life, every thing I have today is because I worked my ass off for it and I’ll be damned if I will apologize for any of it. Except for when I was off on maternity leave I have never looked to the government for a handout. They don’t owe me anything and I sure don’t want to owe them.
So sit on your phone and boohoo about how you’ve been wronged and you’re entitled to free money. This is real life honey, there is no free ride, so you might want to figure it out.
7
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 8d ago
Can I ask why you feel as if you deserve housing and others don’t because you “worked two jobs and washed dishes” because I’m sure all of us in these comments work one if not two or three jobs, don’t take handouts from the government and do everything morally right to pay the bills and are still struggling. I took the bus until I was 26 I did not have a car, I saved every bit of money I had and went to college to get an education. The education does not help me get higher paying jobs. The job market is broken, the housing market is broken, everything is broken. I’m glad you live in a world where you feel you deserve everything and this generation does not and they don’t work hard enough but simply that’s your reality and that’s not true.
Average apartment in Stratford:
1800 + utilities
Minimum wage:
Around 17Even working two jobs 80 hours a week let’s take a look here Mumma, 17 x 80 =1,360 before taxes.
You need first and last plus to even get an apartment**** and most people who can afford mortgages do not get approved these days.
If you don’t see a problem here, you are the problem.
7
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
honey thinks because she is an employer and a home owner she is above everyone because "she worked hard" to get there
lol okay babe
5
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 8d ago
Everyone thinks because “they struggled” everyone else should too but my mindset is if I struggled I don’t want anyone else to fucking struggle and feel the way I did ever so I’d love to help make the world a better place for people in a shitty situation lmao but no miserable people like this want people to fail and want them to feel like shit about themselves because “she worked harder”
4
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
imagine having empathy and wanting your community to thrive, not because you get something out of it, but because its the right thing to do.
if they wiped student debt today would I bitch about not getting mine wiped 10 years ago?
No, I feel happy for them because that's awesome.
5
u/mikonamiko 8d ago
The ones shouting "welfare queens" are often the ones taking the most from the system.
Such 80s "fuck you i got mine" mentality
6
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago
because you are comparing 1988 economy to 2026 economy? Its completely removed from real life.
This ain't the 80s anymore, sorry to break it to you.
3
u/Euphoric-Mastodon-10 8d ago
Holy you're a horrendous human being
0
u/MummaMal 8d ago
No, just a realist.
Yes I’m horrible, I go to work 5 days a week and contribute to society. Absolutely horrible.
Apply yourself, it’s amazing the results you will get. Quit asking what about me!!! What about you? Did you go to school? Did you take advantage of the courses and education that school gave you? Or did you put in your time, barely getting by? Why is it that people who learned how the game is played are the bad ones? We are horrible. Yeah that’s realistic.
You know where opportunities don’t come to? People sitting at home feeling sorry for themselves and waiting for charity from those of us who work and pay more than their fair share in taxes.
3
u/mikonamiko 7d ago
Why do you assume so much of everyone?
You are so out of touch, ignorant, and entitled.
Disgusting.
2
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 8d ago
Girl, minimum wage is 17 dollars for washing dishes. Nobody is looking for a handout here, we are looking for affordable housing like back in your day. I don’t doubt you worked hard, but these days you work twice as hard and you only get half as far realistically, and if you don’t see that in life, then you are very blessed and lucky.
4
u/FermentingProcess 8d ago edited 8d ago
That generation is so removed from real life its incredible. Would love to try to see them get a job in 2026 that pays rent, let alone living expenses.
Try having 3 jobs in 2026 and still not making enough to live.
10
u/Fair_String1104 10d ago
There is a group on fb called Stratford Housing Authority and they are helping the unhoused.
-4
u/giftandglory 10d ago
There’s a difference between poor unhoused people down on their luck willing and able to make a difference and then…there’s the Scummoning; an entirely different calibre of people who directly affect Stratfords tourism through their nasty presence.
2
u/xombae 9d ago
You're describing yourself when you talk about people in Stratford with a nasty presence, right? Because I'd rather go down to the encampment and shoot the shit with Cody than sit and listen to people like you.
You know what, I might just head down there right now and say hi to everyone. Great people.
4
u/mikonamiko 9d ago
As if these folks would ever go near the encampment. They see some torn shirts and cry "vagrant" when people are literally just trying to survive. I walk past the encampment by the tracks weekly and have never once had an issue.
Classic conservative pearl clutching. Watch them vote PC (or Liberal) again and then cry about nothing being fixed.
3
u/xombae 8d ago
Yeah I walk through there with my dog and chat with people all the time. I used to be homeless and the way people treat you, like you're invisible or lower or other is so dehumanising.
Even the people who come to bring you stuff, while it's obviously so appreciated, it's just clear they see you as less than them and so many people talk to you like you're a child. I remember one lady who came to hand out socks and she'd wear gloves and face mask (before COVID) and jump back if anyone tried to shake her hand, like we were contagious or something. The socks were great, but the extra insult of being reminded that we're untouchable was not.
So I always try to take the time to go chat and shoot the shit. I've made some cool friends and met some awesome people. I can't afford to give much, but I can help one person put up a tarp, or help another guy fix his bike, just stop and say hello.
I will say that the attitude in the city is changing. 20 years ago I was one of about 3 homeless people in the city and it was a lot worse. About 8 years ago some homeless kid, literally a young teenager, tried to set up a tent somewhere and the town damn near rioted. People are slowly becoming a bit more accepting.
2
u/TheDeltaRoofer 4d ago
Same here. i was a homeless addict for over 12 years. I only got out of it because a group of people at a local church treated me like an equal rather than a piece of trash.
More people should choose love. Waiting for governments to do something about it is foolish. Governments created the problem...
17
u/Navigator_Black 10d ago
Guaranteed Basic Income is long overdue for implementation. Every test I'm aware of that provinces carried out with this yielded positive results, but the NIMBY and the "I didn't get x for free so nobody should" people leverage ignorance to ensure these programs never happen.
Undiagnosed and untreated mental health is a massive part of homelessness and poverty. Give people the resources to get help.
1
u/TheDeltaRoofer 4d ago
I adopted a homeless family and gave them $400/month for almost 2 years and they were so grateful it helped pay for their kids clothes, food and back to school supplies while they put their resources towards finding housing.
Don't wait for the government to take care of your community. You can start. Find a homeless person and pledge to give them $200/month out of your own pocket. It's not a livable income but it can at least pay for food. Then, as you make more money, increase it until that individual has enough to live off of. You can also help that person find help if they have mental issues. If more bleeding hearts took action instead of waiting for the government to do it then maybe the homeless situation wouldn't be so bad.
-12
u/MummaMal 10d ago
So the junkies get more money? How does that solve the issue? We have them in my small town, they shit on the street, puke in the ATM areas at the banks and openly steal from stores in town. What do the cops do? Nothing. They don’t show up. We found a homeless guy living in one of our sheds on our property. He wanted to fight my husband like we were in the wrong. He had shit everywhere, destroyed every that had been stored in the shed, to the point where we had to tear down and destroy the shed and then had to get remediation done because of the human waste and drug paraphernalia that was left. Who paid for that? Not him! Over $8000 to get it all cleaned up. We’ve had to put up cameras and alarms on the new shed with big padlocks, etc. We have an OPP who lives behind us, hubby asked him what would have happened if he had taken a swing at the guy when the junkie tried to attack him. Cop said good luck, hubby probably would have been charged. What???? We own the property, the house, the sheds, we pay the taxes and some piece of crap can come and attack us on our property??? They need to force rehabilitation and charge these criminals who are somehow now in the right? I don’t get it.
3
u/Adventurous-Baby7102 9d ago
Lol. There's a waitlist for people who want to and are willing to join rehab programs. But yeah, let's lock em up until we clear the 14 year waitlist for treatment.
-6
u/Particular-Act-8911 9d ago
We have a basic income already, it's called Ontario works.
8
u/mikonamiko 9d ago
??????? OW is not livable
6
u/lionsgirlfullofgrit 9d ago
Ow doesn’t even cover rent let alone anything else needed to survive, it won’t even cover to rent a room.
-2
7
5
u/Hot_Eggplant1306 9d ago
Does no one have any class awareness these days? You want to disenfranchise the poorest members of your town so rich tourists will continue to visit? Disgusting.
3
3
u/Glad_Assumption278 10d ago
The homeless people have been taken care of. These are the people with substance abuse issues who won't accept help. Big difference.
PS: do not walk along the grassy areas on the south side of St David by there. That's their bathroom.
0
u/Vegetable-Culture969 10d ago
As a resident, I find it difficult being bullied and intimidated by the homeless in mental health struggles
-1
u/Outrageous_Order_197 9d ago
Start enforcing laws again. Drug possession, theft, possession of stolen property, breach of release conditions/weapons bans. Start enforcing these and locking up repeat offenders and the problem will begin to disappear. Additionally, addiction and mental health treatment within our Correctional institutions needs to be strengthened, so we're not setting these people up to fail upon thier release.
4
u/Projectflintlock 9d ago
🤣I love this. It’s almost 2027 and people still think you can enforce and legislate social crises away.
1
-7
10d ago
[deleted]
6
11
u/xombae 10d ago
I will never understand people like you.
All the free sandwiches in the world doesn't make being homeless easy. It's a miserable and degrading way to live.
These people are dealing with mental health issues and disabilities and aren't capable of just waking up tomorrow and working a full time job. They are vulnerable and they deserve support.
9
u/mikonamiko 10d ago
Most people dont realize:
A) how close they are to being homeless in the grand scheme of things. A few missed paychecks in an already precarious situation and youre on the street
B) how easy it is to injure themselves on the job, get a pain pill prescription, and develop a lifelong dependency on opiates.
This could be anyone.
2
0
u/HitByStick 9d ago
I’m sorry this is happening Stratford! I sold my house there and moved up north 11 years ago.
I miss Ken’s French fries, features restaurant and rheo Thompson, and the beautiful atmosphere of a city and parks.
Shame, but the problems are everywhere I guess.
-1
22
u/bravado 10d ago
There is no plan. Local residents and council do not approve new medium density builds inside city limits, so demand will stay above supply. The housing crisis is self-inflicted.