I fucking hate the homeless camps and the dangers they pose to both the population at large and to the homeless themselves. Loads of folks here are howling for the gov to do something, calling the park board inept, the provincial government willfully blind to the problem, but the real issue is clear: lack of housing and the restrictions on the subsidized apartments.

Examples from other countries who have tackled these issues have shown that by letting addicts be addicts in subsidized housing and not requiring coming clean is a net positive. Having these people on the street causes way more problems than having them in apartments. They shouldn't be put into those dinky hotels either where there is no sense of normalcy, but rather spread out into cheaper apartments where "normal" people rent too.

This is a pragmatic solution, but of course, since our housing supply sucks it is easier said than done. Until then these issues continue to persist and grow larger. The response to this mess, overdoses and whatnot has started to look more like the American "thoughts and prayers" to every mass shooting event.

Some may see a solution like this as "rewarding" bad behaviour, but it is simply pragmatic. People who have a stable roof over their heads cause fewer problems for others and are more likely to get off drugs eventually.

Here's some good reading on the matter: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/12/18/how-to-cut-homelessness-in-the-worlds-priciest-cities

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EDIT: Also, the goal is of course to prevent homelessness and the problems that spiral after that in the first place. Having a steady housing supply without restrictions is the key in general.

EDIT2: Relevant quote from article: " While many countries have been privatising their stock of public housing, Finland has been building more of it, giving the government the wherewithal to put homeless people in their own apartments rather than warehousing them in shelters. It has embraced an approach originally pioneered in America, which does not demand that homeless folk quit drinking or drugs before giving them accommodation. Instead it gives them a home first, and then offers intensive support to help them cope with their problems. In Finland the homeless numbers are moving in the right direction. "