Homelessness is worsening due to a complex interplay of factors, including rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and inadequate mental health and addiction services. As affordable housing becomes increasingly scarce, more individuals and families cannot secure stable shelter. Economic instability, exacerbated by events like the COVID-19 pandemic, has further strained resources, pushing vulnerable populations into precarious situations. Additionally, systemic issues such as discrimination and lack of access to healthcare contribute to the cycle of homelessness, making it a persistent and growing crisis in many communities.
Beginning in early 2020, I started working on the front lines of Niagara’s escalating poverty and homelessness crisis.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to engage in candid and heartfelt conversations with individuals facing homelessness and unemployment, as well as those grappling with addictions and mental health challenges, through my connections with various service agencies.
UNHOUSED is my exploration of the roots of this growing crisis in our city and region.
Unfortunately, the Regional Municipality of Niagara and the City of St. Catharines have informed regional agencies to refrain from speaking to the media, including myself. As a result, having conversations with social workers on the record can be challenging at times.
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
On The Myth of Canadian Exceptionalism
This is not an argument that Canada is Mississippi in 1964—but no society arrives at that point by accident. The same dynamics are visible here at home. They surface in the normalization of hateful rhetoric online and in public spaces across Canada, including here in Niagara. Those advancing this rhetoric often insist they are merely…
On My Fight with the NRPS
Until now, I have carried this case largely on my own. I authored the original complaint. I survived the first major procedural hurdle. I researched and drafted a comprehensive response to the NRPS “defence”—a document prepared by a team of taxpayer-funded lawyers with decades of combined experience. I met the system where it stood, with…
On Not Disappearing
I am not good at making lifelong friends. My record is uneven, marked by distance and missed chances. Going stealth would have only deepened that pattern. More importantly, it would have meant abandoning the mercy, empathy, and action shown by the people who stood beside me. I needed their proximity—not just their support, but their…
Sabrina Constance 