The night I met Joseph it was 21 (\u00b0F) outside. He has lived outside in Toronto for over 10 years now. Joseph said last year he spent the whole winter outside with temperatures as low as -40. He went on to say, “It’s not like I am doing it on purpose. I have been waiting for a decent place to stay.”<\/p>\n
At one time, Joseph was in housing. But the housing was so bad he didn’t feel safe and he walked away from it. When I asked Joseph how services can help someone like himself, he simply responded by getting him a place to live where he feels safe and doesn’t have to fear others.<\/p>\n
I know some people think that any housing is better than the streets. I also know that most every community has challenges in finding affordable housing and good landlords that will accept housing vouchers. But putting people into situations that are dangerous to a person’s health or safety has to stop! We can do better. We must do better!<\/p>\n