As outreach workers strive to make dent in Thunder Bay housing crisis, this tent resident shares survival plan
Manager of community housing says wait times in District of Thunder Bay are among lowest in Ontario
Touque Adams is among the growing number of people in Thunder Bay, Ont. who have been identified by outreach workers as living in an encampment, but he has a work plan: carrying a sign to get people's attention and let them know, "I'm not invisible."
Adams said he works for smiles and is grateful if he gets a bit of money for rent or supplies to survive the winter.
"Just a roof over my head to help me get going, that would be the biggest asset," Adams told CBC News. "The biggest challenge right now I see is the lack of housing. Now, do I have to have a fancy room? No, but at the same time I want safety."
Aaron Oja, who's among dozens of outreach workers on the front lines of Thunder Bay's housing crisis, knows where individuals like Adams are coming from. He's with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB), which manages community housing.
Oja's job takes him to the city's homeless encampments, where about 140 people were known to be sleeping in clusters of tents across the city this summer — nearly triple last year's number.
Every Tuesday, he checks in on people in the encampments, sees if they're already on the housing waitlist and, if not, gives them an application.
"Lots of people who are staying in the encampments, in the shelters, they don't generally know that this might be a service that they can use, so bringing it out to them gives them access to the supports that they might need," Oja said.
When a person has a suspicion that you're not necessarily in a home but you're homeless — well now there's a judgment that comes in.- Touque Adams
"When I come out here, lots of people haven't had housing applications, they haven't been in touch with DSSAB — some people don't even know who we are."
About 1,200 people are on the waitlist for rent-geared-to-income units in the District of Thunder Bay, and 62 people are on DSSAB's high-needs waitlist, which is prioritized for those experiencing homelessness.
'A life of necessity'
When CBC News met Adams, he had been living in a tent for about a month. He said he doesn't feel safe in an overnight shelter, but finding a job, let alone an apartment, can be challenging.
People are less likely to give him a reference if they find out he's homeless, he said.
"I am looking for work. I am going out and trying my best," he said. "But it is hard. When a person has a suspicion that you're not necessarily in a home but you're homeless — well now there's a judgment that comes in and there's lots of judgment I have to deal with daily."
He said he used to be a busker, but his guitar was recently stolen. If he replaced the instrument, he could earn more money playing music, but that purchase would mean he would have less money in the short term to buy the essentials.
"It's a life of necessity. Very quickly, you learn how to become humble. I've learned what is a need and what is a want," Adams said.
While carrying his sign, he tries to entertain people who pass by him. It says: "Hello, I'm re-building. I'm actively looking for work. I'm a clean-cut guy. Any spare change will help. Thanks!"
"Do I want to do this?" said Adams. "Not necessarily, but it is a deck of cards, and I was handed this card right now and I'm gonna make the best of this hand."
Consistency of services
From January to the end of July, DSSAB moved 21 people from the high-needs waitlist into housing, Bill Bradica, chief administrative officer, said in an email to CBC News. While the city looks to build 2,200 homes by 2031, questions remain about how that will be achieved, and what it means for those with nowhere to go.
Of those on DSSAB's housing waitlist:
- 86 per cent are from the City of Thunder Bay.
- 32 per cent identify as homeless.
- 68 per cent identify as living in a permanent rental or ownership situation.
The average wait time for people on the list is 12.4 months, and it's 8.6 months for those on the high-needs waitlist, said Bradica. According to DSSAB, the District of Thunder Bay has among the lowest wait times for community housing in Ontario.
Since Oja started his role just over a month ago, he said, being consistent with clients is the key to gaining their trust.
"It's showing up every Tuesday, making sure that I'm consistent with what I bring, what I'm offering, how I interact with them," he said. "People come to expect specific things so that when I am here Tuesday, they're like, 'Great, I know what you have and I need that today.'"
Oja's personal experience is what drew him to this role.
"I have lived in DSSAB housing before. I've lived in some rougher areas of the city, so I grew up around it," he said. "It's kind of like helping the people I grew up around."
While some people have misconceptions about the city's human rights-based approach — helping people where they are rather than relocating them elsewhere — Oja invites them to be more compassionate.
"We are doing what we can, and I'm just hoping people in this city can understand that we are trying our best with what we have."
A good day
CBC News asked both Oja and Adams what a good day looks like for them.
"When I get a housing application back, because it means it's done, I can get it in and then they're on the waitlist," Oja said. "When clients are willing to work with me … it's completing their goals, I think is what would be a good day."
For Adams?
"A good day is one that I make a little bit of money, that I have a good meal, that I get to put smiles on people's faces out on the street, not going to bed hopeless … looking forward to the next is a good day," he said.
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