Planning for Homelessness and Addiction: The Case of Toronto with Lessons from Europe

Toronto currently grapples with intersecting epidemics which take the form of increasing homelessness and addiction among city dwellers. The recent housing crisis and fentanyl epidemic have highlighted an urgent need to approach these issues with new and unconventional policies and strategies. The collapse of the welfare state and the rise of neoliberalism have eroded the social safety net which once may have slowed the advance of these problems. Both addiction and housing instability have led to negative outcomes for, not only the demographics in question, but as this paper will show, society at large. As such, it is necessary for our policy makers, academics and leaders to think outside the box and look for new innovative solutions to these problems. In a search for answers, this paper will look to European jurisdictions for examples of unique urban planning and government policy approaches that may be utilized with regard to both understanding and tackling issues relate to the cross between addiction and housing in Toronto.