Homelessness, safety top of mind as Toronto mayoral byelection looms

As voters prepare to head to the polls to elect a new mayor, two topics remain top of mind: safety along the Toronto's transit system, and addressing homelessness.

As voters prepare to head to the polls to elect a new mayor of Toronto, two topics remain top of mind: safety along the city’s transit system, and addressing the growing issue of homelessness.

Earlier this year, the Toronto police deployed additional resources to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), including officers, in response to an increase in violent incidents along the system.

What’s more, an Ipsos poll in March showed that almost half of the people surveyed (44 per cent), said they felt unsafe riding transit alone.

However, in March, the force announced it would be ending additional patrols along the TTC after almost two months.

After the additional police support was pulled — and besides extra staffing from security guards and special constables — what were left were outreach workers, namely the Streets to Homes Outreach and Support Program.

The program’s workers provide one-on-one support to people experiencing homelessness in the city, to help address their immediate needs, while also creating a specific housing plan.

James Jeffries, one of many who found themselves without a place to live this year, began experiencing homelessness in November.

“I was on the street, nowhere to go,” Jeffries told Global News. “I had a shopping cart with all my stuff in it. I didn’t even have a tent. I had one quilted blanked and was freezing out there.”