Local advocates react to Premier Ford’s comments about encampments

Advocates in Waterloo Region are calling out Premier Doug Ford after he made controversial comments about people living in encampments.

"If you're healthy, get off your A-S-S and start working like everyone else is," the premier said Monday while responding to a question about affordable housing waitlists. "Get an application and drop it off at one of these companies and start working."

Julian Ichim, who has lived in an encampment had a lot of say about Ford’s comments.

“My initial reaction is that the Fords aren't taking seriously the economic crisis that we're in,” he said.

He said for many people living in encampments, getting a job takes a back seat to survival.

“You don't even have a toilet, right? Like, if you're sleeping outside, there is nowhere you can go to clean yourself up,” Ichim said.

For the last 40 years, Joe Mancini and the Working Centre have been helping people get back to work.

“Housing, we provided it initially, was exactly designed to give people some place of shelter. So that they could get out to work,” Mancini said.

Mancini believes housing and employment have always been connected.

He said a very small portion of people living in encampments are ready to work but said stable housing is always part of the path back.

“You almost 100 per cent need to be at least in shelter. Housing is way better. There is always the potential to help an individual get past some of those issues, to get into stabilized housing. And over time, it is so important for people to work.” Mancini said.

Mancini said getting through the interview stage is also not as easy as it sounds for those physically capable to work.

“Every employer is looking for a fixed address,” he admitted. “People who get jobs, they need to look good, they need their hair to be combed. They have to be showered and their clothes have to look good.”

Housing, he said, should be a priority and getting them a job the next step after that.

Ford’s comments were met with scrutiny from advocates across the province.

"This is a human rights issue, and we need inclusive, neighbour-friendly approaches, not this 'pull yourself up by the bootstraps' type of comment,” said Meg McCallum, the interim Executive Director for the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa.

With reporting from CTV Ottawa.