Eighty thousand people in Ontario are homeless, a number that has grown exponentially since COVID-19.
According to AMO – Association of Municipalities of Ontario, data indicates that the province is at a tipping point in the homelessness crisis.
Advocates say that if steps are not taken, this number will double within the next decade.
Robin Jones – AMO’s President says that the scope and scale of homelessness across Ontario’s municipalities is truly staggering.
There are multiple reasons why people become homeless.
Statistics Canada suggests that financial instability is one of the major reasons for homelessness in Ontarians.
Mihir Kumar, a Sheridan photography student, offered insight into the vast difference between the earning capacity of Ontarians and the amount that they have to pay as rent.
“In Toronto, if the building is not under rent control, landlords can change [prices] to whatever they want,” said Kumar.
“Every now and then there is a decrease in rent, but the decrease doesn’t mean it is affordable. It is still expensive.”
In contrast to this data, however, Rental.ca, a rental marketplace website, released a report this spring, saying rents have decreased in Ontario, in a post-Covid world.
In Canada, the average asking price for residential properties fell 3.2 per cent compared to the end of 2023. This price was described as a 17 month low of $2,109 in December.
Urbanation, a strategic consulting service specializing in new real estate development also released a report in 2025 saying rents for residential properties are at an all-time low.
The report lists rent prices in cities from various provinces, ranking rents from the highest to the lowest. Toronto has some of the highest prices, with landlords asking people to pay an average $2,300 per month.
“Recent modest rent decreases are typical market fluctuations and do not address the deeper affordability crisis in Ontario’s rental housing,” says Scott Baird, the Community Engagement Coordinator for Advocacy for Tenants Ontario.
When people can no longer afford rent, eviction follows.
With the province’s shelter system operating at 97 per cent capacity many have nowhere to turn.”
The underlying issue with rents and homelessness is unmonitored rent control.
According to “Rent Control in Ontario,” a report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives by Ricardo Tranjan and Pauline Vargatoth, rent control has been ineffective.
Specifically, the report sheds light on the fact that rent in Ontario has risen 55 per cent over the last decade, while rent control guidelines have estimated that proves should have risen 16.5 per cent.
“The future of the housing market looks bleak. I’m still paying unaffordable prices, which is frustrating,” says Jesse Pehlivan a 21-year-old student living in Mississauga.
“The cost of living is frustrating. [I’m forced to] to choose between living in Toronto in or living in the suburbs –hoping one day, that I can live in Toronto in the future.”
Alexandra Li, a 22-year-old student who lived in Toronto for over four years, in an apartment owned by her mother.
“If you don’t have a financial support system, it can be challenging,” says Li, who adds that Torontonians need to have a back-up plan.
“Nobody wants to rent in Toronto anymore.”
According to the AMO, housing and homelessness had more than 2.1 billion dollars last year.
But this number is not enough to solve the crisis.
AMO also suggests that an additional 11 billion dollars over 10 years is needed to end the homelessness crisis.
“While we need to build more affordable housing and provide more shelter capacity, we need to preserve our existing affordable housing,” says Baird.
According to him, for every one affordable unit being built, 11 unaffordable unites are lost to the private market.
“We cannot build our way out of this crisis without any effective regulations.”
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