More people living out of carpool lots

CTV’s Jeff Pickel shares the story of people who have set up temporary homes in short-term parking lots to try to stay afloat.

As many people struggle to make ends meet due to the rising cost of living, some people are now finding refuge in short-term parking lots.

An increasing number of RVs, trailers and other vehicles can be seen parked for months at a time in carpool lots along Highway 401.

“We came here because the rent got boosted up so high since COVID. My spouse still works, but we got evicted from where we were because of the high cost,” a person called Debbie told CTV News. Debbie has been living in a trailer with her husband since last August.

Other people living in the lot said they also work full-time jobs, but they have not been able to find a suitable rental option.

Although the winter months can be tough, Debbie is grateful for the space she has found.

“I’m a lot luckier than other people,” Debbie said. “They’re in their tents. I got security cameras here, the lights, I got my generator for electricity. We can bathe, we can shower here.”

In total, a CTV reporter counted between 10 to 20 trailers at the carpool lot.

Jorge lives on the other side of the space with his girlfriend.

“I was working and then I suddenly lost work and I couldn’t pay my rent anymore. So, it actually just started off with me just staying in my truck. It’s supposed to be temporary,” Jorge explained. He said he worked with vehicles, but has only been able to find occasional work so far.

“My girlfriend works landscaping and then snow clearing in the winter and I just work on cars. So, we’re hoping to save up some money to get first and last [month’s rent] as well as have steady enough work that I could pay once a month, so that’s not always easy, That’s for sure,” Jorge said.

Experts say this type of homelessness is more common than many people recognize.

“We usually think about the people that we see on the street in an encampment on the sidewalk, but that’s actually only the tip of the iceberg,” Erin Dej, an associate professor at Wilfrid Laurier University who studies homelessness, said.

“There are a lot of people who are experiencing what we call hidden homelessness - people are couch surfing by staying at a friend’s place and finding new places to stay every few nights, or that can be living in their car or using up their life savings on a motel room,” Dej said.

Dej said some people who are seniors or are employed feel they have no other option than to live out of an RV or trailer. According to Dej, the isolated location of the carpool lots can offer stability that is hard to find when experiencing homeless.

“A parking lot or something like that offers a little bit of consistency and a little bit of stability, where hopefully they’re not being moved along every few days, and so they can get settled and figure out what next steps are.”

Both the Ministry of Transportation and the Ontario Provincial Police acknowledge they are aware and are monitoring the situation.