Housing, Dignity & Human Rights: TUHU Brings Lived Experience to Toronto's Housing Rights Committee

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 People with lived experience of homelessness took their concerns directly to Toronto's Housing Rights Advisory Committee, urging City officials to place dignity, housing and human rights at the centre of decisions affecting unhoused residents.
Invited to present before the committee, the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU) shared the experiences of more than 300 members who have faced homelessness or inadequate housing across the city. Through outreach in shelters, encampments and drop-ins, the member-led organization said it is witnessing growing displacement, increasing security enforcement around Union Station and worsening conditions for people with nowhere else to go.
"As people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity, we understand firsthand what is needed to improve our lives and create lasting solutions to homelessness," the organization told committee members. "Too often, however, our voices are overlooked and our experiences dismissed."
TUHU also presented its report, Safety for Whom?, documenting testimonies from unhoused residents who describe increased security enforcement and displacement as Toronto prepares to host FIFA World Cup events.

Drawing on five years of personal experience living unhoused, TUHU organizer Sebastian Diaz described the issue as one of human rights rather than public order.

"Homelessness is too often treated like a crime instead of a humanitarian crisis. During a housing and overdose emergency, we are choosing punishment and intimidation instead of compassion and care."
The union called on governments to adopt a human rights-based response, including the creation of 24/7 respite spaces, greater investment in peer outreach and harm reduction services, and the postponement of planned shelter and supervised consumption site closures.

"Our membership is made up of people who have experienced homelessness and underhousing in many forms," TUHU said. "Together, we advocate for dignity, housing justice and the right for every person to be heard."

The discussion carries particular significance for residents of Regent Park, Moss Park, St. James Town and Toronto's Downtown East, where housing insecurity, homelessness and the shortage of affordable housing continue to shape everyday community life. By bringing lived experience directly into City Hall, TUHU urged decision-makers to ensure those most affected are included in developing policies that impact their lives.

As Toronto prepares to welcome the world, the presenters argued that protecting the rights and dignity of its most vulnerable residents should remain part of the city's vision for the future.



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