For years there have been over 200 homeless people wandering around Brantford looking for shelter an few of them being able to find any. People with health problems and disabilities struggle to find any food or assistance. This also effects everyone else in Brantford because of how many of them aren't in any better position to help. I've often seen many people needing money or a place from the cold and me not being in any position to help.

Since 2022, homelessness has increased in Canada by 20%. The estimated cost to ending homelessness in Canada is nearly 4 billion dollars, which is a small price to pay considering homelessness costs the economy over 7 billion and that indigenous people are most affected by it. I know it didn't cost me anything to let a unhoused person to use my phone to call someone and it wouldn't cost you anything to sign and share this petition, it would cost the city of Brantford next to nothing to change the market square mall into a shelter and the same goes to any community that has wide empty spaces that could be used to shelter people. 

All empty malls would a perfect place to convert into homeless shelters due to the space and architecture of such a structure. The food courts could easily be renovated into a cafeteria that is able to feed many people and the stores can be made into rooms, food banks, day cares, classrooms, clinics, etc. If this happens, we can expect a significant decrease in vagrancy and deaths.

While Brantford does have facilities to assist unhoused people, like SOAR or Rosewood house, there is only so much they can do and a mall would give them the much needed infrastructure to significantly help more people. Something like this has to be done as soon as possible, especially before winter comes. It should've been years ago and the mall has been used for public use like during the pandemic when it was used to administer the vaccine to citizens. We cannot ignore the problems happening to the homeless in Brantford because it's not just their problem, it's Brantford's problem.