In late November, a quiet memorial service of a man some call Canada’s first Inuk filmmaker took place at the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto. Mosha Michael is credited with making short films for the National Film Board in the 1970s. Sadly, the once successful filmmaker and music composer died homeless in Toronto, where he spent years on the streets.

Toronto is said to be one of the richest cities in the world, and yet it has the largest homeless population in Canada. Research indicates that homelessness has been growing rapidly, almost six times faster than the overall population. A report released by Calgary-based Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership argues that homelessness is now chronic and is quickly becoming one of the country's defining social issues.

But closer to home 28 per cent of the homeless are youth and The 1999 Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness estimates that 10,000 youth spend at least some time on the streets of Toronto.

The Rexdale area has not escaped the homeless problem plaguing the GTA. “Homelessness is in Rexdale, and it is a reality,” says Suzan Hall, the Ward 1 councilor for Etobicoke North. But Hall says that the city council has programs in place to tackle the problem.

“We have Albion Neighborhood Services (ANS) that serves up here, connecting homeless people with shelters.” She says. In addition to offering transportation to the shelters, ANS also assists the homeless in getting housing through their Streets-to-Home program.

Another service is Youth Without Shelter (YWS), a program that specializes in serving an ever-increasing number of homeless youth. The emergency residence and referral agency in Rexdale provides shelter and support programs for homeless youth aged 16 to 24.

Judy Leroux, the centre’s development manager says that YWS believes in second chances, building confidence and teaching life skills to empower youth to break the cycle of homelessness, one youth at a time. “We provide the basic necessities of life and offer support and training programs and a unique educational opportunity for youth who want to finish school.” She says.

Contrary to common belief, Leroux says that youth become homeless for many reasons and homelessness does not fit one particular profile but is representative of all levels of socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation. “The biggest majority, over 70 per cent become homeless due to unsafe home environments, lack of secure housing, poverty and violence, while others have mental health and addiction issues,” says Leroux.

Since opening its doors in 1986, YWS has given over 14,000 young people a second chance, providing support programs in a safe environment, with the goal of getting youth off the streets permanently. This has been possible through a four tier program: These are, the Residential program which provides shelter, food and clothing; Step-to-Success program that teaches the youth life skills to live independently; Housing Assistance helps the youth exit the shelter system and find independence; while the Stay In School program is designed to remove the barriers homeless and at risk youth face when trying to complete their education.

A homeless man we met on Bay Street in Toronto and who declined to provide his name claims to have lived on the streets for many years. He said that although it could be better, he remains positive and calls his life good as it is. “If nothing happens out of the ordinary….without being abused or sexually assaulted then things are alright.”  (See YouTube report)

Besides government funded programs to fight homelessness, Suzan Hall says the family and community has got an even bigger role to play. “A lot of kids come to us [because there] are problems within the family environment and so society needs to assist in whatever way they can to keep families as a productive unit, and positive,” says Hall.

Noting lack of government support for the mentally ill who form a large part of the homeless, Hall says that people should speak with their area politicians and ask them to do more to address issues of mental health, and stop the mentally ill from ending up on the streets.

By Paul Dellapenta and Esther Wambui

With the rise of information databases on the Internet, the use of this growing technology is becoming more popular each day. This ever-changing, high-tech society has now more than ever opened its doors to the possibilities of the Internet.