ENCAMPMENTS

The Big Picture

Encampments are one of the most visible signs of Ontario’s housing and homelessness crisis, reflecting rising housing costs, a lack of affordable and supportive housing, shelter shortages, poverty and gaps in community supports. 

People experience homelessness for many reasons, including job loss, health challenges and family breakdown. Twelve per cent of Ontario households are in core housing need, living in housing that is unaffordable, overcrowded or in need of major repairs, with no affordable alternative. Meanwhile, homelessness has increased by more than 50 per cent since 2016ⁱ. 

Concerns you’re likely to hear

Public safety and community well-being 
People want public spaces to feel safe and welcoming. Reponses should consider everyone, including people living in encampments who often face serious health and safety risks. 

Communities are balancing the use of public spaces with the need to support people who have nowhere else to go. Without housing options, moving encampments doesn’t solve the underlying issue. 

Shelter and housing availability 
Many communities don’t have enough emergency shelter, affordable housing or supportive housing, so people are left with few real options.  

Pressure to use the justice system to “clear” encampments 

Municipalities are under pressure to act, but lasting solutions take coordination across multiple levels of governments, service providers and community organizations. 

What the evidence says

Encampments are a response to homelessness, not its cause: 

• Nearly 85,000 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness in Ontario in 2025.ⁱⁱ 

• Household incomes increased close to 36 per cent between 2011 and 2021 while average rents increased more than 46 per cent. ⁱⁱⁱ 

• Despite recent growth in rental supply, affordable rental housing remains scarce in Ontario, particularly for low-income households. ^iv 

 About 70 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Ontario have a current mental health condition, substance use disorder, or both.^v While these challenges are common, homelessness is primarily driven by broader factors such as housing affordability and inadequate income. Experiencing homelessness can also contribute to or worsen mental health and substance use challenges. Clearing encampments without safe and appropriate housing and supports doesn’t resolve homelessness. A police-led encampment clearing cost the City of Toronto approximately $2 million, but encampments continued to increase in the city, highlighting that enforcement cannot resolve homelessness without housing and supports.^vi Effective responses require emergency shelter, transitional, affordable and supportive housing. 

What you can do

• Learn about and support “Housing First” approaches that help people find permanent housing right away, without requiring them to meet certain conditions first. As well, support transitional housing models that combine affordable housing with flexible, community-based supports. 
• Support homelessness prevention initiatives such as eviction prevention, rent banks, housing stabilization and coordinated access systems.  
• Promote supportive housing development through coordinated planning, timely approvals, and community education and engagement to build understanding and respond to local concerns. 
• Partner with CMHA branches and other community organizations to integrate housing, mental health, addictions and primary care services.  
• Advocate for sustainable provincial and federal operating funding, not just capital funding, to ensure new supportive housing can be staffed and maintained.  

Innovative approaches from Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branches 

• Many CMHA branches deliver “Housing First” and supportive housing programs that pair rent supplements with flexible supports that enable people to live independently in the community.  

• CMHA branches participate in multidisciplinary outreach teams that include housing workers, nurses, peer support workers, social workers, and addictions specialists.  These outreach services connect people experiencing homelessness to housing, mental health, addictions and social supports in a trusted community setting.  

• CMHA branches provide transitional housing, crisis stabilization beds, and other supportive housing models that help people transition from homelessness into permanent housing.  

• 16 CMHA branches are leads or partners in provincially-funded Homelessness and Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs in their communities.  

Learn more

Learn more about homelessness, housing and mental health supports: 

• Connect with your local CMHA branch to learn about programs and services.  

• Read more about encampments, transitional housing and supportive housing on the CMHA Ontario website. 

• Read the Association of Municipalities 2026 report on the homelessness crisis.  

Questions? Contact us at info@cmhabriefingroom.ca 

Sources for this factsheet are available at cmhabriefingroom.ca/sources