By Linda Belcourt, Editor
They are called “the homeless.” Some prefer “the unhoused.” Whatever the label, these are real people — not statistics, not shadows under bridges, not problems to be ignored.
Most are not on the streets because of laziness, addiction, or poor choices. Many are working. They simply can’t afford a home. In a country as wealthy as ours, that truth should make us all uncomfortable. When society looks away or hides behind stereotypes, we become part of the problem. The stigma blinds us to compassion and delays the action that’s desperately needed.
Homelessness is not just a city issue, and it’s certainly not someone else’s responsibility. It’s ours. Every community – including ours – must face the growing crisis head-on.
In 2022, Simcoe County counted 722 unhoused people. Southern Georgian Bay represented 6% (27 people), while Barrie accounted for half. By 2024, that number had exploded to 1,080 — with nearly a third living in encampments. Barrie now makes up 47% of the county’s homeless population; South Georgian Bay, 9%. The trend is alarming, and the silence around it even more so.
North Simcoe Springwater News intends to look deeper — beyond the statistics — to ask what’s really driving this. Is it local policy? A regional housing failure? Or a system that no longer protects those one paycheck away from losing everything?
Next fall’s numbers will tell part of the story. What we choose to do about it will tell the rest.