Profiling Suburban Homelessness | 2018 Vaughan Edition

PROFILING SUBURBAN

HOMELESSNESS 2018 VAUGHAN EDITION VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 1 SADAF SHAHID

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Sadaf Shahid Editor 1

Sadaf Shahid | January 12 2018

Winter 2018

Homelessness, to someone who has never experienced the situation, is a hard conecpt to understand. In addition, lack of exposure to homelessness, especially in suburban and northern communities, also strongly contributes to the lack of understanding. This zine attempts to break down the societal barriers taking place in these “prosperous� areas and address that homelessness does exist in these communties. It takes a comparative approach by profiling homelessness in Toronto and Vaughan. I have taken the time to personally comprehend why it remains an issue in with a focus on suburban communities. The concept I illustrate throughout the zine and graphic novel is the faceless and nameless figure we give to the homelessness population. The masked problem being curtained by the promise for a new metropolitan centre and increased economic prosperity. In this edition, we attempt to break societal norms and dwell into some of the situations associated with the issue; uncover what it truly means to be homeless in the 21st century suburban neighbourhood of Vaughan; a properous suburban community with an emerging metropolitan centre. This zine attempts to illustrate something we can’t see with a section providing context, influential digital illustrations, and a short comic. I hope my vision for this zine provides a clear narrative of a problem that many of us cannot see.

CONTENTS

01 CONTEXT

The Issue Typology Where (Toronto vs. Vaughan) Planning (Toronto vs. Vaughan)

02

ARTWORK

Racialization Turning a “Blind Eye” Anatomy of the Homeless Stereotypes

03 COMIC

Suburban Homelessness: The Invisible Man What it Looks Like?

CONTEXT

THE ISSUE

Mass homelessness emerged in the 1980s as a result of massive disinvestement in affordable homes. Due to the huge influx of people and structural shifts in the economy, the government was forced to reduce spending on social affairs such as housing affordability.

The issue itself is a social problem

“A social problem is an enterprise in finding ways of getting something done or prevented, while not interfering with the rights, interests, and ac‐ tivities of all those who are involved in the failure to do, or the persistence in doing, what is the subject of the problem” (Frank, 1925) The ultimate issue here, however, is not homlessness. It is turning a blind eye to the larger dynamics of the problem.

The geography of poverty in Toronto is changing. It is shifting from the downtown core to the northern suburbs and takes a different form; a form that allows the issue to stay hidden behind the vast development and large single detatatched housesing.

Some of us are Unhoused due to disability, chronic illness, sudden health crisis because support services are insufficient

We deserve a right to affordable housing

It's not our fault

The federal government has taken on the widespread issue as important and looks mainly into the “housing first” approach while looking at the needs of specific populations such as the youth, veterans, and the indigineous community.

TYPOLOGY Unsheltered: People living in public or private spaces without consent or contract or not intended for permanent human habitation Emergency Sheltered: Such accommodation represents a stop-gap institutional response to homelessness provided by government, non-profit, etc.

Provisionally Accomodated: Those whose accommodation is temporary or lacks security of tenure with no permanence At risk of Homelessness: Due to precarious employment or immigration

Investements over the past 2 decades led to the creations of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) and Investement in Affordable Housing (IAH).

This concludes that federal support is only a fraction of what existed in the 1990s.

TORONTO vs Vaughan

WHERE

Toronto homelessness appears to be more severe. Let’s take a look if this is true. Population facts show us that the total number of people in Toronto are estimated to be about 5,928,041 (2016) with 447 living on the streets, 3970 staying in 40 city administered shelters (Toronto, 2017).

Vaughan caters to a population of 1, 109, 909 (Census 2016). 263 of these found during point-in-time count, 1745 assisted by the Housing Stability Program, and 407 assisted by the Homelessness Prevention Program (Toronto, 2016). It is important to note that there are only 6 homeless shelters in York Region, including the City of Vaughan.

It is clear from the ratio of number of shelters to the number of people in the area that Toronto has more services that cater to the homelssness population. Toronto’s ratio 1:1500 while Vaughan’s shelter to population ratio is 3:5000.

Is this because there are less homeless people in Vaughan, or maybe none? Or is lack of services due to the fact that homelessness is hidden, or is it the other way around: Is hidden homelessness something resulting from the lack of services offered?

URBAN PLANNING: SPATIAL ANALYSIS STUDY A spatial analysis conducted by second year Ryerson Urban and Regional Planning students (Cheryl R., Carmi R., Harvey S. and Sadaf S.) surveyed the amount of homelessness visible in the Downtown community, specifically, the neighbourhood bordered

by Jarvis and Shuter. The study was conducted on different times of days (Morning, Afternoon, Evening) to get a precise context.

Figure 1.1 illustrates behavioural patterns of the people surveyed and their places of shelter on different times of the day.

It was concluded that homelessness was a visible problem in the area. In addition, most people are moving from the core of Yonge and Dundas Sqaure to the East during evenings where you can see a larger concentration of people seeking shelter or remaining unseen to the public eye.

Therefore, hidden homelessness was not an issue in Toronto, but it became an issue that occured during specific times/weather conditions.

FIGURE 1.1

An alternative study conducted in Vaughan, a large suburban neighbourhood with a 10 year vision and plans to create a new metropolitan centre, produced different results.

Homelessness was significantly more hidden in terms of visibility that the group recognized the need to conclude that poverty or homelessness did not exist in Vaughan. With extensive research it was found that beyond Toronto’s borders, unsheltered homelessness existed in the woods, while those temporarily sheltered and provisionally accomodated were in the midst of Vaughan’s suburban housing.

With more investigation, many initiatives, program, and agencies launched by the Municipality or private organizations were found to address the needs of the people who were categorized as hidden, adsolute, or at risk homeless. These programs are described below.

BLUE DOOR HOUSING: located in York Region, provides safe and supportive emergency housing, and housing services and supports for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

York Region Alliance to End Homelessness: Recognizes health and homelessness in York Region Home Now: program launched by Municipality of York to help people experiencing chronic homelessness more quickly move into permanent housing. Main objective is to reduce homelessness.

360okids: Agency developed to address needs of community in York Region. It uses marketing and merchandising to spread more awareness.

ARTWORK

RACIALIZATION

who are we as human beings if we ignore the suffering of others?

UNCOVER YOUR EYES TO FIND THE CURTAINED HOMELESSNESS “Problems of poverty in Vaughan may be a surprise to most residents because people spend so much time working or commuting they may have less time to notice signs of poverty, I would say the majority of Vaughan residents are totally unaware of this problem” - Isabel Araya, executive director Vaughan Community Health Centre

N A B R U B U S

URBAN HOMELESSNESS

THE INVISIBLE MAN

Developed apartments, condominium, sustainable measures using wetlands, and public interaction. This city appears to have attained all the conceptions associated with sustainble and "smart" cities. With an average household income of well over $100,000 a year and average home prices just below $850,000, the city doesn't have obvious signs of poverty.

A normal morning in Vaughan, with residents dropping their children to school, people commuting to work, and a strong sense of community. A beautiful streetscape gives way to those who are living nearby. City planning has addressed needs for aesthetic spaces, cycling networks, and a central mobility hub; everything to satify the needs of residents.

Zoom in a little closer, and you will see those hidden from site.

You will face economic reality; families, individuals, youth; there are people who barracde themselves from judgement, especially to conform to the reality of being invisible. Going outside is not an option because they will either stand out as those who don't belong, again, due to the harsh reality of invisible homelessness.

Behind the vast urbanization and suburban sprawl are members of society at risk of homelessnes, or provisionally accomodated. The question is: does the VMC (Vaughan Metropolitan Centre) Master Plan address the needs of these people? And how can we make a community that no longer promotes hidden homelessness, rather takes action against the issue. Homelessness is an issue, but hidden suburban homelessness is a condition that needs to be resolved first.

The notion of nuclear families living in single detached homes and full blooming front lawns in Vaughan where we've grown up with friends and families. Behind all the new development and news about a metropolitan centre, the new subway, and other political/technical concerns, homelessness and other social concerns are being masked. Even if there are not as many situations of homelessness than there is downtown, situations of people being provisionally accommodated or temporarily sheltered still occur.

And it’s important to address this to people who are either uneducated or just turn a blind eye to the circumstances.

Isabel Araya, executive director of the Vaughan Community Health Centre, said that there is evidence that the large single family homes in Vaughan hide the actual problems of poverty in the city.

"The issue in Vaughan is we don't see the poverty. In Toronto, you see it, but here it's hidden so it's difficult for the average Vaughan resident to be aware that this problem is here."

The lack of affordable housing in Vaughan is alarming.

And while 92% of people own their homes , many spend more than a third of their income on their housing costs. which signals that homeowners in Vaughan are doing what they can to cope.

AS A RESULT, WE ARE SEEING generations living in the same house DUE TO affordability OR FAMILIES renting their basements in order to pay the mortgage.

words like “coping”, “unaffordability”, and “poverty” are words unconventional to a long time vaughan resident. THEY ILLUSTRATE A PICTURE THAT CONTRADICTS THE VISION OF A PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY THAT VAUGHAN CURRENTLY IS HOME TO AS WILL BE IN A DECADE. .

BUT THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY IS TO KNOW THAT HOMELESSNESS IS A PROBLEM WHILE hidden homelessness is a CONDITION OF A PROBLEM; lack of services.

AS a community with core values regarding security, safety, and health of our region, IT IS OUR DUTY TO AKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AND THE EXISTENCE OF OUR INVISIBLE RESIDENTS with their specific needs.

SO I ASK YOU TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, NEXT TIME YOU SEE THE GRAND HOUSES AND GREEN LAWNS. iS THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD AS PROSPEROUS AS YOU THINK...? READ AGAIN AND LOOK FOR THE INVISIBLE MAN.