London NDP MPPs join call for new deal at AMO to address the housing and homelessness crisis in London

LONDON – NDP MPPs Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre), Peggy Sattler (London West), and Teresa Armstrong (London-Fanshawe) are calling on Doug Ford to implement the Ontario Big City Mayors’ recommendations to address the homelessness crisis in London, in the wake of reports that shed new light on the scale of the crisis.

“The Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Ontario’s Big City Mayors have been more than clear - cities need help from the Province to help those struggling with homelessness, mental health, and addiction. Support workers and first responders in London have been overburdened for far too long – they need the Province to help lighten the load.

Decades of downloading from successive provincial governments has only escalated under Ford’s watch. While the Ford government might be content to ignore the human cost of this crises, everyone else is sounding the alarm. It costs far less to house someone with supports than it does to leave them languishing in unsafe conditions, without proper care, dignity and respect. More than that – it's just the right thing to do.

Housing is fundamental; nothing else matters without it.

As leaders across the province gather at AMO, we will continue to call upon the Ford government to admit its responsibility, to show up, to step up, and to provide the necessary support to municipalities, small businesses, and front-line workers to address this critical issue. Let’s start solving the problem of homelessness together, today”.