The intersection of Sherbourne and Dundas could be called the epicentre of the homeless disaster and housing crisis in Toronto. Long known for its extremes of poverty, human conditions in the area of Sherbourne and Dundas are worsening.

Many things remain unchanged since I first “cut my teeth” as a street nurse in All Saints Church 13 years ago. Buildings are still boarded up, people wander the streets, and most of the social services are in their original locations. Yet, a closer look uncovers a real tragedy. Social service agencies report seeing double the number of people since the provincial government cut welfare payments, and health workers report two to four homeless deaths a week in the city. They also know this is a severe underestimation of the death count.

The Sherbourne and Dundas intersection is an essential part of what we call the Disaster Tour that we give to community leaders, politicians, and members of the media to show the extent of suffering from Toronto’s housing crisis. First on the tour is All Saints, the magnificent Anglican Church at the Four Corners, which sports a bright new, blue sign listing the services inside: Street Health; a clothing store; the Open Door Drop-In; the Friendship Centre; and church service on Sunday at 11 am. Inside, in the Open Door, Doreen’s 50-cent egg sandwiches are still my favourite in town. People that are homeless can seek daytime shelter in both the Friendship Centre and the Open Door. Today, I see still-homeless people I knew 13 years ago and many new faces too. Although people are now allowed to sleep on the pews, many are sleep deprived from nights in crowded emergency shelters or sleeping outside. In one neighbourhood shelter, for example, close to 120 people sleep side by side on a concrete floor. No cots, sometimes not even enough blankets.

Across the street from All Saints, bold signs scream “ROOM FOR RENT.” These rooming houses are in an extreme state of disrepair, yet the need for housing is so desperate now that the landlord often puts two people in single, unfurnished rooms and charges each $320.

Down the street at Sherbourne and Queen there is an emergency shelter for men. North of All Saints, yellow brick houses remain boarded up, but sport a sign “Toronto needs new Public Housing Now.” Next to the boarded-up housing, there is a “rest home” that offers minimal rest, minimal health services, but a bed. The cost is high.

At Allan Gardens there are visible changes from 13 years ago. New lighting and other design changes discourage public sleeping or loitering with limited success. Allan Gardens is now colloquially known as the “Safe Park” after the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty’s attempt to create a safe place where homeless people could sleep. Students from the University of Toronto continue to sleep there every Friday night in a public appeal for solidarity with homeless people.

Across the street women and children sleep in a permanent shelter. The majority of homeless women and children, however, have been relocated to emergency shelters in the former city of Scarborough. The count for children there is 1,000.

Juxtaposed with the hotel and condominiums sprouting up on Jarvis and Dundas streets, the Sherbourne and Dundas area has had no new social housing for 13 years. It’s time to bring our people back into a home.

Cathy Crowe