Who?

The housing and economic crisis are severely impacting our most marginalized and vulnerable neighbours in Waterloo Region. Black and Middle Eastern communities face disproportionate racial profiling and police violence, including mental health emergency calls that end with the person in crisis being killed at the hands of Waterloo Regional Police Service Officers.

Unhoused community members are increasingly experiencing police harassment and violence, due to WRPS’s recent increase of surveillance of unhoused community spaces. They face displacement from their camping spots at any time, sometimes every 24hrs several days in a row. 100 Victoria St. N. is the only land in the Region of Waterloo that WRPS is not legally allowed to evict people from.

There are approximately 2,000 unhoused community members in Waterloo Region – there are less than 400 shelter beds. In addition to being nowhere near able to accommodate our community, the shelters are so dangerous that many of our neighbours refuse to access beds their when they are available.

What?

If these serious issues are not addressed, our marginalized neighbours will continue to face racial profiling and police violence, housing insecurity will worsen with more displacement, and the shelter system will remain inadequate, failing to meet our community’s needs and failing into ruins.  Waterloo Region cannot allow these systemic inequities to continue to perpetuate harm and violence on our neighbours

Why?

The urgency of the crises facing Waterloo Region has reached a critical point. The escalating violence and racial profiling by the police, coupled with the lack of adequate housing and shelter solutions, have created immediate and severe impacts on the most vulnerable members of our community. Delaying meaningful action only exacerbates these issues, leading to more harm and suffering.

Help support a shift in Waterloo Regional Council’s priorities towards addressing these urgent issues with a focus on effective solutions, rather than continued over-investment in policing and development projects that neglect the pressing needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.

How?

To: Regional Chair Karen Redman and Waterloo Regional Council

 

We, the concerned residents of Waterloo Region, urgently call upon the Waterloo Regional Council to address the growing crisis of housing insecurity and community safety with immediate, decisive action. Our community is facing severe challenges that demand more than superficial measures and empty promises.

1. Freeze Police Budget Increases: We demand a freeze on budget increases for the Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) for at least the next five years. Instead of further funding increases for an institution with a provincially bad record, the Region of Waterloo needs to reallocate resources towards addressing housing insecurity.

2. Halt Transit Hub Construction at 100 Victoria Street North: All plans for construction of the King-Victoria transit hub parking lot at 100 Victoria St. N need to stop until there are adequate housing solutions for all encampment residents. The Ontario Superior Court has ruled that evicting these residents without sufficient shelter options violates their Charter rights. Waterloo Region needs a plan that ensures none of our neighbours are displaced or left without alternatives.

3. Overhaul the Shelter System: The shelter system in Waterloo Region is critically underequipped to meet the diverse needs of the unhoused community. The shelter beds we have left are operating at full capacity with many folks unable to access support when necessary– and many others refusing to access the shelter system at all because of how dangerous it is. We need a comprehensive review of the shelter system and the Region of Waterloo’s role in service provision.

Waterloo Regional Council must prioritize these serious issues over infrastructure projects and police funding, and take meaningful action to address housing insecurity and community safety. Our community’s most vulnerable members deserve more than symbolic gestures; they need real, tangible support.

 

For more information about these issues please visit:

fightbackkw.wpcomstaging.com/2024/04/12/demanding-action-to-address-housing-insecurity-and-community-safety-in-waterloo-region/