GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from Ron Anicich from Raise The Rates Coalition in response to LETTER: Reader thanks city staff for removing encampment:
Dear editor:
While I appreciate Mr. Rodriguez's concern for downtown Guelph's economic vitality (Letters To The Editor, November 17, 2024), clearing encampments fails to address the root causes of homelessness and merely displaces vulnerable people to other locations.
The reality is that Ontario's social assistance rates remain far below the poverty line. A single person on Ontario Works receives just $733 monthly - nowhere near enough to afford rent in Guelph, where average one-bedroom apartments exceed $1,600. Even recipients of Ontario Disability Support Program benefits struggle with maximum payments of $1,368 monthly, an amount which falls well short of the cost of an apartment. This represents a complete breakdown of the social safety net which all Ontario communities rely upon, while our current provincial government gives away billions of our tax dollars to profitable foreign corporations.
Rather than celebrating encampment removals, we should be demanding that the provincial government raise social assistance rates to livable levels. In 2024 this means at least doubling social assistance rates. Research consistently shows that providing adequate, stable income is the most effective way to prevent and end homelessness. When people can afford housing, they don't need to live in tents.
The "criminal activity" Mr. Rodriguez references is often survival behaviour born of desperation. People experiencing homelessness need homes, not displacement. While Guelph does have some social services, they are overwhelmed and underfunded. The solution isn't forcing people experiencing homelessness out of public view - it's ensuring everyone has enough income to afford safe, stable housing.
If the people of Guelph truly want to be a "city of hope, unity, freedom, pride and care" as Mr. Rodriguez suggests, we must focus on systemic solutions like adequate social assistance rates, not quick fixes that merely hide the problem while causing further trauma to our most vulnerable neighbours, friends and family members.
Sincerely,
Ron Anicich
Raise The Rates Coalition
