A taxi ride to Sudbury, Ont., seen as an option for homeless people in nearby rural areas

Support workers in northeastern Ontario's Sudbury District say they've had to call taxis at times so homeless people in the area could be brought to the nearest city.

"We do not have those services. Our only option is sending people out of the district," said Dana Crane, the quality assurance co-ordinator for housing and homelessness at the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board.

But Crane said even when they arrive at a city like Sudbury, where there are more services available, there are no guarantees they can get into a long-term shelter. 

There are currently 788 people on a housing wait list in the Sudbury District, Crane said.

She said homelessness in rural areas is often more hidden than it is in cities.

"In passing it's perceived as camping, as opposed to if you see a tent set up on a city sidewalk, that looks a little bit more unusual," Crane said.

Chad Minten, a spokesperson for the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board, said rural areas don't have the resources at their disposal to help homeless people in the community.

"Broader supports are definitely something that's needed to help with the issue," he said.

"Just something that addresses the root causes of the homelessness or the issues, not necessarily just the crisis that we're dealing with in the moment."

Minten said services like mental health treatment, job training and life skills development would help homeless people in the area transition to housing.

He added a new 10-unit supportive housing development is due to open in the town of Espanola later this summer.

"Hopefully by the end of this month the project will be completed," Minten said.

Crane said many people who are used to living in a tent don't have the life skills needed to live with other people.

"We can't just take somebody that is living rough, maybe completely alone in the bush with no neighbours, put them into congregate housing and expect them to get along and live with one another," she said.

Crane said that none of the current social housing buildings in the district meet the standards for supportive housing, where there would be staff available to help residents adapt to their new living arrangements. 

3 to 4-year waits

Tracy Van Horne is a housing case manager for the Canadian Mental Health Association, who works in the northeastern Ontario communities of Massey, Webbwood and Espanola.

She said the wait for many of her clients to find housing is three to four years.

"Mental illness is a huge barrier for people that are homeless," Van Horne said.

"You see people wanting housing, but they can't live in the housing units that we have here because it just doesn't work for them."

Van Horne said finding housing for her clients can be a challenge and is emotionally draining work.