Anti-Homeless Architecture: Who’s Worthy of Public Spaces?

Sarah Schell

Canadians in and outside of Toronto are aware of the exorbitant cost of living within the city, especially with the rapid rise of housing and rental prices over the past few years. Despite Toronto ranking as the richest city in Canada, (Wealth Professional) residents are struggling now more than ever to maintain financial security. A recent poll, conducted in 2023, concludes that 61% of Canadians believe Canada is going through an economic recession, and nearly half of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque (City News). As the homeless population rises due to the dramatically increased cost of living, hostile architecture within the city increases as well. 

Hostile architecture, or anti-homeless architecture, prevents homeless people from surviving comfortably in public spaces. Downtown Toronto is notorious for the growing homeless population, and city officials are taking it upon themselves to ensure that homeless people do not loiter in spaces where others, who are living above the poverty line, would not be considered loitering. While this may be a temporary solution for city officials to hide the number of homeless people in Toronto, this doesn’t mean they just stop existing. Instead, they resort to sleeping on sidewalks, nooks between buildings, and subway stations. And although there are various homeless shelters across the city, many people are being turned away from staying because the demand is so high for residence. 

Regardless, some homeless people in Toronto are choosing to stay on the streets rather than in a shelter because the circumstances for those who get access to live in shelters are less than ideal. “Rates of victimization are high among the homeless population. It is estimated that between 27 and 52% of people experiencing homelessness have been physically or sexually assaulted in the past year. Further, some groups, such as women, youth, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, are at heightened risk of sexual violence and abuse in the context of homelessness” (The Homeless Hub). 

I had the opportunity to interview a friend, who will remain anonymous, who experienced homelessness for several months, and had the chance to stay in a youth shelter; which he expressed tends to have far better conditions than shelters not catered specifically for youth. While he recalls helpful staff and an overall positive living environment, conditions were far from perfect with the multitude of youth staying there from troubled pasts and backgrounds. He disclosed that there were a number of instances where residents were using discriminatory language, such as racial and homophobic slurs, and he noted the presence of drug abuse within the shelter. When asked about the issues the presence of drug abuse caused, he said, “Well. We had one person die- he had an overdose. The guy was beside us. We had people doing drugs because access to someone to talk to was hard.” Regardless, he feels lucky for his circumstances, because some don’t have an experience that’s as positive as his. 

With that being said, many people who choose to stay outside are now getting punished for doing so, but even if they decide to risk the unideal conditions of shelters, they aren’t given the opportunity at all if shelters are at maximum capacity. But should there be a measure on which we level out whether someone has the right to exist in a public space? The problem starts when public officials decide that people who are living above the poverty line have more right to rest in public spaces, i.e. sitting on a bench with a divider in the middle, than those who aren’t fortunate enough to be above the poverty line, who wouldn’t harm anybody by sleeping on the same surface. Especially people who can go home at the end of the day to their beds and couches, no

city-mandated barricades included. Does anyone really have the right to decide who’s worthy enough to utilize public space? Ethically, no- but they do if they’re in a position of power. 

Statement Directory: 

Randall, Steve. “How Do Canada’s Cities Rank among the World’s Wealthiest?” Www.Wealthprofessional.Ca, Wealth Professional, 8 May 2024, www.wealthprofessional.ca/news/industry-news/how-do-canadas-cities-rank-am ong-the-worlds-wealthiest/385807. 

Ritchie, Sarah. “Almost Half of Canadians Living Paycheque to Paycheque as Tory Support Grows: Poll.” Www.Toronto.Citynews.Ca, City News, 1 Sept. 2023, toronto.citynews.ca/2023/09/01/canada-economy-recession-paycheque-poll/. 

Kerman, Nick, and Joseph Voronov. “Victimization, Safety, and Overdose Risk in Homeless Shelters.” Www.Homeless Hub.Ca, The Homeless Hub, 1 Sept. 2023, www.homelesshub.ca/blog/victimization-safety-and-overdose-risk-homeless-shelters.