The City of Toronto launches ads to dispel myths about the homeless

Carl Tebo used to live under the Gardiner Expressway, and in the middle of winter, he used cardboard boxes, a sleeping bag and heat from a grate to stay warm.

While battling a mental illness, he said he also had to battle the misconceptions of others.

"Somebody's judging me thinking, 'Oh, there's a derelict or a hobo,'" he said. "I have a serious mental health issue. I'm there because I don't know where else to go."

• Formerly homeless man helps others find housing

• 'Come early': Toronto's homeless struggle for place to sleep in freezing winter

• Meet Toronto's hidden millennial homeless

To fight misconceptions about Toronto's homeless, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness (TAEH) launched a public awareness campaign Monday morning. They're aimingto debunk the myths around homelessness and homeless people, specifically men, who make up 85 percent of the homeless population.

The campaign isthe third instalment of the Toronto For Allcampaign, which aims to end all forms of discrimination and racism.

Kira Heineck, project lead of the Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness, said many people don't realize how prevalent homelessness is. On average, about 4,434 men, women and children have used the emergency shelter system each night this year.

"We know that there's many, many reasons [for homelessness]that include job loss ... thefact that it is very difficult right now to afford a good home or an apartment on a low income in the city," she said. "There's also illness. One of the main causes for homelessness in Toronto right now is family breakdown."

'I need those shelters built somewhere else'

The campaign also aligns with the city's efforts to start a dialogue on four new shelters planned for2017in anticipation of the eventual demolition ofSeatonHouse, a large men's shelter downtown. The shelterswill likely push beyond the downtown core, Heinick said, where most of the city's shelters have historically been built.

"That has forced people to move from their own natural communities and neighbourhoods," she said. "Now the time has come ...to look at a better model that supports people in the communities where they actually are."

Advertisements for the campaign challenge the concept ofNIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) when it comes to homeless shelters, where peoplemightsupport the idea of a homeless shelter, but don't want onebuilt near their home. The ads will be posted on transit, online and on social media.

"People thinkthose that are homeless are more likely to commit crime or to be a negative part of their community. We don't have any evidence that backs that up," Heineck said. "Often when we don't know enough about something or a set of people, we tend to be a little wary. I think that's human nature."

The city plans to host discussions on the expansion of the emergency shelter system, including on where the shelters will be builtand how they'll function.

"We're challenging people to learn more," Heinecksaid.

For Tebo, who has been off the streets for almost two and a half years, an important element of the acceptance of a shelter, for residents and for the homeless community,will be design.

"If you build a nice shelter, you're going to get nice residents. If they're going home to a dungeon ... I wouldn't care," he said.

Good food, ample staff and a bed with clean sheets can make all of the difference, he said.

"That's inspiring for a homeless person. That changes your own self-image, your own self-esteem."

If you'd like to add your voice to the discussion, visit torontoforall.ca.