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Closer Look - Insightful, credible, unfiltered conversations that matterAuthor: Village Media Inc.
In cities and towns across Ontario and at Queens Park and Parliament Hill our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find. This new podcast from Village Media Closer Look is all about the stories we tell. Every weeknight, hosts Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith go beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers. Language: en-us Genres: Daily News, News, News Commentary Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Why there’s reason for hope amid Ontario’s rising rates of homelessness
Friday, 16 January, 2026
Send us a textA new report confirms what many of us already see with our own eyes: the homelessness crisis in Ontario is getting even worse.According to updated numbers from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), nearly 85,000 people across the province were known to be homeless in 2025 — a jump of almost 8 per cent from the previous year, and nearly 50 per cent since 2021.The problem is especially stark in Northern Ontario, where homelessness grew by more than 37 per cent last year.Although the numbers are discouraging, AMO’s report does lay out a potential path forward: an $11-billion, 10-year plan “that prioritizes long-term housing solutions over temporary emergency measures and enforcement-based responses.”If we don't act now, the report warns, homelessness in Ontario will likely double over the next decade — and potentially reach 300,000 in the face of an economic downturn.“It is absolutely not hopeless,” says Lindsay Jones, AMO’s executive director. “We do know how to solve these problems.”Jones is our guest on tonight’s episode of Village Media’s Closer Look podcast.Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, and produced by Derek Turner, Closer Look is a new daily podcast that goes way beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.Fresh episodes drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. right in your local news feed — and on the show’s dedicated website: closerlookpodcast.ca. Of course, you can also find us wherever you get your favourite podcasts.Want to be the first to know when a new episode lands? Sign up for our free nightly newsletter, which delivers the latest Closer Look straight to your email inbox. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram,
