Homelessness, housing worry voters in Kingston and the Islands

A guaranteed living wage and housing arekey issues for votersin Kingston and the Islands, ashomelessness is front of mind ahead of the Ontario provincial election on June 2.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic,the Partners in Mission food bank in Kingston, Ont., served between 45 and 55 families per day, according to Tony Mader, the food bank's long-serving operations manager.

Today, it's more like 65 to 70.

"The need is greater than that, but our operation can only handle 70," said Mader, who is among those calling on whatever party secures the Kingston and the Islands seatto guarantee people a living wage.

"Then people wouldn't have to starve and wouldn't have to be homeless," he said.

"We wouldn't need to be here."

Kingston has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in Ontario at1.4 per cent, while many people are unable to afford housing.

More than 200 people were experiencing homelessness in the city as of an April 2021 point-in-time count by United Way. Per-capita, that's higher than the rate in Ottawa.

Jim McTague, who lives in a house overlooking Skeleton Parkin Kingston's downtown core, saidhe sees people constantly pitchingtents in the parkand believes more attention should be paid to the mentally ill and homeless.

"It's getting out of hand in Kingston," he said. "There's lots of people out there that are walking the streets that shouldn't be, that are ill, and there should be some more housing for them."

Parties raise theissues during elections,McTague added, but "once they get in, the story gets forgotten."

International student NeerajNainwal can't votebut as a newcomer discoveringthe city, he said he's noticed the problem.

"Government needs to make sure homeless people are treated well and they get what they deserve," Nainwal said.

Michael Peters moved to Kingston two years ago. At one point he livedby amain downtown intersectionjust south of Artillery Park, where people also camped out.

"It is a very frequent occurrence to just see people in distress wandering the streets," Peters said.

"Fora city this size, with such wealth and such privilege to have that sort of a problem, it's shameful, really."