Life is a collection of chapters, and some of them are undeniably painful to read. There is a popular sentiment that offers profound hope: “Don’t give up because of one bad chapter in your life. Keep going. Your story doesn’t end here.” This wisdom acknowledges that struggle is a part of the narrative, but it insists that it is not the final page. It is a call for resilience, a reminder that identity isn’t fixed by moments of failure or despair.
However, if we apply this metaphor to the crisis of homelessness and addiction on our streets, we must ask ourselves: Are we helping people turn the page, or are we simply buying them a new bookmark while they remain stuck in the same chapter?
The current approach to homelessness is often too passive, too willing to enable stagnation. It can be patronizing to assume that someone in the throes of addiction or living on the streets doesn’t need a hard response. By removing all expectations—by offering housing without requiring sobriety or a commitment to rehabilitation—we risk telling people that they aren’t capable of more . We accept their bad chapter as the whole book.
We need a shift from a handout to a hand up. This means coupling compassion with accountability. It means recognizing that allowing someone to continue using drugs without intervention is not kindness; it is a slow form of surrender . A truly compassionate response says, “Your story doesn’t end in addiction, and it doesn’t end on this street corner.”
Programs that are beginning to see success are those that provide shelter and support, but also demand recovery and work . They enforce rules, ban public camping, and use the leverage of the law to nudge individuals toward treatment. This isn’t about punishment; it’s about instilling the self-worth that comes from meeting expectations .
If we want to help people write a better chapter, we must stop editing around the margins of their misery. We must provide the structure and the hard line in the sand that says giving up is not an option. Because their story—and ours as a community—doesn’t have to end there.
Housing First is an established concept in Finland since more than 15 years thanks to the Y-Foundation as a pioneer. The Y-Foundation was also one of the founding members of the Housing First Europe Hub.
In 2016 the Finish Y-Foundation together with FEANTSA established the Housing First Europe Hub. The Y-Foundation has been a key player in establishing Housing First as the main response to homelessness in Finland. Since 2007 national policies shifted towards reducing long-term homelessness through Housing First programmes.
As a result, in Finland, the utilisation of emergency and temporary accommodations, such as shelters, hostels, and temporary supported housing, has significantly declined. The number of homeless individuals residing in hostels or boarding houses decreased by 76% from 2008 to 2017. This reduction is attributed to the widespread adoption of prevention strategies, the replacement of outdated models of communal supported housing with Housing First and housing-led approaches, which largely replaced emergency shelters.
ARA, the Housing Finance and Development Centre, has also been involved in the implementation of Housing First in Finland since the start through subsidising new and renovated homes as well as giving housing advice to municipalities.
As a result, Finland is one of the only European countries that registers decreasing homelessness numbers. The country’s goal is to end homelessness in Finland all together.
Finland has managed to reduce homelessness in recent years, but homelessness as a phenomenon is still alive and well. The homelessness situation often escalates in the context of social and economic crises.
A groundbreaking trial for a prostate cancer treatment with fewer side effects has launched in the UK.
Backed by the Government-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the trial will examine whether Aquablation – a therapy using robotics, AI and real-time imaging – works as well or better than traditional surgery, known as radical prostatectomy.
Radical prostatectomy involves removing the entire prostate gland in a bid to cure men of prostate cancer. The treatment is suitable for men whose cancer has not spread outside of the prostate gland or has spread to the area just outside the gland.
However, the operation carries a risk of serious side-effects, such as infection, erectile dysfunction and urinary problems.
Researchers hope Aquablation will minimise these issues.
The therapy is currently used in some centres to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
The treatment is suitable for men whose cancer has not spread outside of the prostate gland (Getty/iStock)
Aquablation involves a robotic-assisted, high-pressure waterjet. Surgeons can also map the entire prostate in real time with ultrasound.
Using the technique, medics find cancerous tissue to remove while avoiding surrounding nerves and muscles associated with erectile function and the bladder.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London is the first hospital in Europe to recruit a patient to the trial, which is being run in seven countries.
Overall, 280 patients will be recruited globally, all with early-stage, localised prostate cancer who have already decided to have surgery.
Philip Charlesworth, consultant urological surgeon at the Royal Marsden, said: “For men with prostate cancer confined to the prostate, curative options are excellent, however, we are becoming increasingly focused on the side-effects of the cancer treatment and how we can embrace new technology to maintain a man’s quality-of-life following their surgery.
“This trial is measuring Aquablation therapy, which uses a robotic approach to surgically remove the cancer, and to preserve a man’s ability to remain continent and maintain sexual activity.
“The potential for this trial is very exciting. It has an opportunity, depending on the results of the study, to add an alternative surgical treatment option for patients with localised prostate cancer across the globe.
“The ultimate aim, and my passion, is to improve prostate cancer treatments so that they cause less harm and are less invasive for the patient.
“I feel that this is an incredibly exciting prospect for the future of prostate cancer care.”
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London is the first hospital in Europe to recruit a patient to the trial (Getty)
Other potential treatments for localised prostate cancer include active surveillance or monitoring of the cancer and radiation.
The new trial is sponsored by the US company, Procept BioRobotics.
To date, there are more than 25 centres globally recruiting patients for the trial.
The four UK centres are the Royal Marsden, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The trial comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said earlier this week he was “surprised” by the decision from scientific advisers to limit prostate cancer screening.
In a draft recommendation, the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC), which advises the Government, said prostate cancer screening should not be made routinely available for the vast majority of men in the UK.
It said it would not recommend population screening using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test because it “is likely to cause more harm than good”.
Experts are expecting data within two years from a large trial launched by Prostate Cancer UK into whether combining PSA with other tests, such as rapid MRI scans, could lead to a recommendation for population-wide screening.
For now, the committee will put forward only a recommendation to screen men with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations – which puts them at far higher risk of prostate cancer – every two years, between the ages of 45 and 61.
Main symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. If this happens, it can cause changes to the way you pee, such as:
finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to pee
having a weak flow of urine
“stop start” peeing
needing to pee urgently or often, or both
feeling like you still need to pee when you’ve just finished
peeing during the night
Other symptoms can include:
erectile dysfunction (being unable to get or keep an erection)
blood in your urine or blood in your semen
lower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)
Speaking on Wednesday on BBC Breakfast, Mr Streeting said he was surprised by the decision.
He said: “I’m looking very carefully at why the national screening committee reached that decision.
“I’ve always said these things have got to be based on science and evidence, not on politics.
“But the recommendation did surprise me.
“This is contested. I’ve got people in the prostate cancer community and not just really prominent patients and celebrities and politicians who’ve used their experience and their voice in this debate, but among scientists and researchers.
“This is a draft recommendation. They consult on this for three months, and then we have to make a final decision.
“What I’m going to do is get some of those leading, best scientific voices and competing opinions around the table to thrash this out, to really interrogate the data and make sure that when I come on your programme having made a decision, it’s the right decision for the right reasons, the best evidence and the public can then understand why we’ve made the decision and the scientific community can understand why we’ve made the decision.
“But I am interrogating this data and recommendation because it did surprise me.”
Many experts argue that the PSA test is not very reliable because men with a high PSA level may not have cancer, and some men with cancer have a normal PSA result.
A positive test result may lead to unnecessary treatment for slow-growing or harmless tumours, leaving men at risk of side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
But others argue that current evidence supports wider testing.
The Homeless Prevention Program provides portable rent supplements and support services to individuals in identified at-risk groups facing homelessness.
About the program
The Homeless Prevention Program is an initiative aimed at providing individuals in identified at-risk groups facing homelessness with portable rent supplements and support services to help them access rental housing in the private (non-subsidized) housing market.
The rent supplements and support services help recipients access rental housing in the private (non-subsidized) housing market and community-based services.
The Homeless Prevention Program operates, in many instances, as an enhancement to the existing Homeless Outreach Program / Indigenous Homeless Outreach Programs and targets individuals at transition points that put them at greater risk of homelessness.
Cost: None. Services are free.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible, you (or someone you know) are at immediate risk of homelessness. This includes:
Youth transitioning out of foster care
Women who have experienced violence or are at risk of violence
Individuals leaving the correctional or hospital systems
Individuals of Indigenous descent
Age
Rent supplements are for eligible individuals aged 19 years and older
They may be small and swift, but if you notice this tiny silver creature scurrying around your home, you could be facing a significant and costly issue. Experts are advising anyone who spots a silverfish in their property to promptly check for dampness.
These shiny, teardrop-shaped insects thrive in moist conditions and are particularly fond of areas with water.
If you see one darting into or out of your skirting boards or crevices around window sills, it’s likely a sign of damp and moisture within your property. If not addressed, dampness can lead to a host of problems, including cracked bricks, rotting joists, decaying plaster, and spreading mould spores. In extreme cases, it can even compromise the structural integrity of the property and impact air quality.
Dampness can result from various factors, such as leaky drainpipes, condensation, ageing damp proofing, or inadequate ventilation, especially in bathrooms or kitchens where water vapour tends to linger. Identifying the cause can be tricky, but the presence of silverfish indoors usually signals that there’s dampness requiring attention.
Silverfish can be a sign of huge issues -Credit:Getty
The sooner signs of dampness are detected, the easier it will be to eradicate the bugs. It recommends looking for indications on walls like wet or damp patches, peeling wallpaper, and flaking plaster.
Other telltale signs include damp and musty smells, rotting wood, and the emergence of mould and mildew on walls, floors, or ceilings.
Among the proposed remedies are utilising a dehumidifier, maintaining good ventilation in your home, inspecting your gutters for leaks, applying damp-proof paint to your walls and, if necessary, engaging a professional to address areas impacted by rising dampness.
A slumlord is a derogatory term used to describe a landlord who knowingly maintains rental properties in poor or unsafe conditions, often while charging high rents. Slumlords typically neglect necessary repairs, ignore health and safety codes, and exploit tenants, often those in low-income or vulnerable situations who have limited housing options.
Characteristics of a Slumlord:
Poor Property Maintenance: Failing to address issues like leaky roofs, broken heating systems, mold, pest infestations, or structural problems.
Health and Safety Violations: Ignoring building codes, fire safety regulations, or sanitation standards.
Exploitation of Tenants: Charging high rents for substandard housing, often targeting tenants who lack the resources or knowledge to advocate for themselves.
Lack of Responsiveness: Ignoring tenant complaints or requests for repairs.
Illegal Practices: Engaging in unethical or illegal activities, such as wrongful evictions, rent gouging, or refusing to return security deposits.
The Shifting Sands of the Hourglass of World States, is there a Fourth World?
Legal Context in Canada and the US:
Both Canada and the US have laws and regulations to protect tenants from slumlords, but enforcement varies by region.
Canada: Provincial and territorial laws govern rental housing. Tenants can file complaints with local housing authorities or tenant boards if landlords fail to meet their obligations. For example, in Ontario, the Residential Tenancies Act outlines landlord responsibilities, and tenants can seek recourse through the Landlord and Tenant Board.
US: Housing regulations are enforced at the state and local levels. Tenants can report violations to local housing authorities or take legal action. Many cities have tenant rights organizations that assist renters in dealing with slumlords.
Tenant Rights:
Tenants in both countries have the right to:
Live in a safe and habitable environment.
Request necessary repairs.
Withhold rent or take legal action if the landlord fails to address serious issues.
Be free from retaliation for reporting violations.
Addressing Slumlord Practices:
Document Issues: Tenants should keep records of complaints, repairs, and communication with the landlord.
Report Violations: Contact local housing authorities or tenant advocacy groups.
Legal Action: In severe cases, tenants may sue for damages or force the landlord to make repairs.
Slumlords contribute to the broader issue of housing inequality and the lack of affordable, safe housing in many urban areas. Combating their practices requires stronger enforcement of housing laws and increased support for tenants.
Dealing with a slumlord can be incredibly frustrating and stressful, but there are steps you can take to protect your rights and improve your living situation. Here’s a guide to help you navigate the situation:
1. Know Your Rights
Familiarize yourself with local tenant laws and housing codes. These vary by location but generally guarantee your right to a safe and habitable living environment.
Common landlord responsibilities include providing:
Working utilities (heat, water, electricity).
Proper sanitation and waste disposal.
Structural integrity (no leaks, mold, or pest infestations).
Safe and secure locks on doors and windows.
If your landlord is failing to meet these standards, they may be violating the law.
2. Document Everything
Keep a detailed record of all issues, including:
Photos and videos of unsafe or unsanitary conditions.
Written notes about when problems started and how they’ve been ignored.
Copies of all communication with your landlord (emails, texts, letters, etc.).
This documentation will be critical if you need to take legal action or report the landlord.
3. Communicate with Your Landlord
Notify your landlord in writing about the issues and request repairs. Be specific, polite, and keep a copy of the letter or email.
If they don’t respond or refuse to make repairs, send a follow-up notice and mention your legal rights.
4. Report Code Violations
Contact your local housing authority, health department, or building code enforcement agency to report unsafe or unsanitary conditions.
An inspector may visit your property and issue a violation notice to the landlord, forcing them to make repairs.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA – Some abandoned townhouses standing in Uptown district
5. Withhold Rent or Repair and Deduct
In some areas, tenants are allowed to withhold rent or pay for repairs themselves and deduct the cost from rent. However, this can be risky, so:
Check your local laws to ensure this is allowed.
Notify your landlord in writing before taking action.
Keep receipts and documentation for all repairs.
6. Join or Organize with Other Tenants
If other tenants are experiencing similar issues, consider organizing as a group. Landlords are more likely to respond to collective action.
You can also reach out to local tenant unions or advocacy groups for support.
7. Seek Legal Help
If your landlord continues to neglect their responsibilities, consult a tenant attorney or legal aid organization.
You may be able to:
Sue for damages or compensation.
Break your lease without penalty.
Force the landlord to make repairs through a court order.
8. Consider Moving
If the situation doesn’t improve and your health or safety is at risk, it may be best to find a new place to live.
Before moving, ensure you’re not violating your lease and that you’ve followed proper legal procedures to protect yourself from retaliation or eviction.
9. Report to Local Media
If the situation is severe and widespread, contacting local news outlets can bring attention to the issue and pressure the landlord to act.
10. Stay Safe
If you feel threatened or unsafe due to your landlord’s actions, contact local law enforcement or a tenant advocacy group immediately.
Resources to Help You:
Local Housing Authority: For reporting code violations or unsafe conditions.
Legal Aid Organizations: For free or low-cost legal advice.
Tenant Unions: For advocacy and support in organizing with other tenants.
State or Local Tenant Rights Websites: For information on your specific rights.
By taking these steps, you can hold your landlord accountable and work toward a safer, healthier living environment.
Vancouver has been hit with a lawsuit over what human rights advocates call the city’s “cruel, dehumanizing, and deadly” daytime ban on homeless outdoor sheltering. Kier Junos has more.
The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) says it is taking the City of Vancouver to court on behalf of unhoused people affected by a ban on daytime shelters.
Calling the ban “cruel, dehumanizing, and deadly,” the association is challenging the city bylaws that make it illegal for unhoused people to shelter outdoors during the day.
“Unhoused people deserve to have their government treat them with dignity and respect,” the BCCLA said. “Instead, many municipalities choose to enforce bans on daytime sheltering with callous cruelty by forcing people to either carry their belongings around all day or be violently decamped if they try to shelter.”
According to the group, unhoused people in Vancouver are subject to constant harassment, surveillance, and violence. In its enforcement of the ban, the association says, the city engages in daily street sweeps that destroy people’s personal belongings, including tents, sleeping bags, and medications.
The city’s website says unhoused people are permitted to set up temporary shelters in parks from dusk to dawn but they must be removed at sunrise “to make parks available to support the health and well-being of the whole community.”
In a statement, the city says it can’t comment on matters before the courts, but confirmed staff will review the legal documentation once it is received.
The liberties association says it is “impossible” for those with physical or mental disabilities to set up and take down their shelter daily and then carry it throughout the day.
Jason Rondeau, one of the plaintiffs, was living on the streets for five years until recently when he got into social housing in the Downtown Eastside.
“For myself, it’s not really affecting me anymore because I am housed now,” Rondeau said.
“But I’ve got a lot of friends out there who are still in the thick of it, and their life is hard. Without the sweeps, their life is already hard.”
Vibert Jack, litigation director for the BCCLA, says the lawsuit will also address city bylaws that govern tents on the sidewalk.
“The courts have said already that these types of bylaws are unenforceable at night because it makes it impossible for people to sleep overnight in shelter,” Jack said.
“Our position is the same logic applies during the day.”
For three years, CRAB Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was the only place in the city where unhoused people could legally camp in the daytime. This was closed late last year.
Now if you’re an unhoused person and you want to camp overnight in a Vancouver Park, you have to take down your tent every morning at 8 a.m.
In its claim, the BCCLA says the daytime shelter ban violates three separate sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in that it subjects citizens to “extreme cruelty,” puts peoples’ safety, security, and survival at risk, and threatens equality rights of diverse people, including those with disabilities.
With files from Kier Junos and The Canadian Press.
Duty to Assist is a homelessness prevention approach that works upstream and uses a human-rights lens. Originating in Wales, it is also known as the Housing (Wales) Act 2014, which created a legal obligation for local authorities, such as governments, to make reasonable efforts to move individuals out of homelessness or stabilize their housing.
The fourth session of the Prevention Matters! series was hosted by Stephen Gaetz from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and dug into the details of how Duty to Assist works. Gaetz interviewed Peter Mackie of the Centre for Homelessness Impact at the University of Cardiff who was a key player in the implementation and creation of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. They discussed the implementation of Duty to Assist in the United Kingdom, as well as challenges faced in the process and what Duty to Assist might look like in the Canadian context.
How Does Duty to Assist Work?
Individuals affected by homelessness are eligible for assistance at three stages:
Prevention stage: When an individual is at risk of homelessness, authorities can intervene by trying to address the factors contributing to the risk, such as paying rental arrears or providing a rent subsidy.
Relief stage: After a person’s housing is lost, the authorities can intervene by trying to find them new accommodations.
In the event that both options fail, individuals in priority groups who are covered by previous legislation will have housing secured for them.
Duty to Assist works upstream, meaning that it assists individuals earlier than previous legislation allowed. Those who are at risk of homelessness or have just become homeless can seek out help from local authorities earlier. This allows issues to be addressed in a more timely and cost-effective manner.
According to Mackie, Duty to Assist has proven to be much more effective in the prevention stage. The intervention can be something as simple as paying off arrears or providing first and last month’s rent, which is a much simpler approach than trying to find brand-new accommodation.
“If you are already homeless, to take steps to resolve your homelessness, we’re way less successful there because you don’t have the home to try and keep somebody in.” – Peter Mackie
Challenges with Duty to Assist
While the implementation of Duty to Assist is a win for prevention in Wales, the legislation is still riddled with difficulties that go beyond the homelessness sector. As Promise Busulwa, the producer of Prevention Matters! always says in her opening remarks: “The housing crisis cannot be solved by the homelessness sector alone.” Mackie has written articles outlining the need for “…effective universal prevention to be the foundation of any strategy to end homelessness.” Many of the ongoing issues with the Duty to Assist model are the lack of consolidated, systematic care and collaboration between public bodies and other organizations to address the root causes of homelessness.
“But what we don’t have in the legislation is a requirement that, for instance, a landlord would notify the local authority.” – Peter Mackie
Another challenge noted by Mackie is that people can be hesitant to change. Individuals who are impacted by impending or current homelessness, and who therefore qualify for Duty to Assist, need to be aware of the program itself and request assistance. This has proven to be difficult, especially given that the legislation and the supports offered looked very different prior to the implementation of the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. Prior to the implementation of Duty to Assist, the legislation only provided assistance for families with children and other priority groups.
Currently, there is a gap as public institutions, like hospitals and prisons, do not call for assistance from local authorities when releasing an individual into homelessness. Mackie also noted push back about the universal nature of Duty to Assist. Many parties involved in the legislative process pushed to maintain the focus on priority groups, clashing against the universal prevention model that applies to everyone experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Mackie spoke to the difficulties involved in imposing a “duty” on public bodies that had the power to intervene in the creation of an individual’s homelessness situation. Simply put, these parties could not be mandated to provide assistance because “ somebody is going to fail.” Instead, the legislation mandates a ‘best efforts duty.’ A duty to assist means providing assistance to those who willingly consent to receiving help and are, in return, expected to comply with attempts to provide them with assistance.
“In government, there’s often a reluctance to actually use the word ‘must.’” – Peter Mackie
To combat these challenges, Mackie calls for better data sharing and a more person-centred focus when providing services. As the legislation is currently being revised for what has been coined as “Duty to Assist, Mark II,” Wales aims to have these issues addressed and changes implemented, which involves including a more diverse range of voices. While Mackie expresses frustration with the lack of support both financially and from public systems for Duty to Assist, he does acknowledge that it has been very helpful as Wales traverses a housing crisis.
What Does this Mean for Canada?
While Duty to Assist cannot be precisely replicated in Canada because of the lack of infrastructure, Stephen Gaetz noted it is regarded as a fundable homelessness prevention method by the Government of Canada. Mackie also mentioned that the overall principles of Duty to Assist can be implemented without legislation—although they may be less effective without the legislative aspect—on a community or municipal level. While it would be ideal for there to be legislation to hold public bodies to account, Wales has not experienced any high court cases surrounding the Duty to Assist, leading Mackie to believe that the implementation of the Duty to Assist principles without legislation should be possible.
Mackie recommended implementing Duty to Assist in a community to prove that it works before aiming to scale it upwards, and Gaetz replied this had been in progress before the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s hoping Duty to Assist gets the chance to prove its value in Canada.
Interested in more diverse perspectives on homelessness prevention? Check out the rest of the Prevention Matters! Series. Want to learn more about Duty to Assist? There is a free, self-paced training on the Homelessness Learning Hub.
Originally published on The World-Wide Web’s Homeless Hub On Monday October 21st, 2024
The analysis and interpretations contained in these blog posts are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
