A decade ago, a New York activist brought a controversial new approach to housing to Toronto.
Roseanne Haggerty argued that it was a waste of taxpayers’ money to cycle the homeless endlessly through the shelter system. Cities should use public funds to get them into stable housing as quickly as possible and tackle their problems — mental illness, addictions, criminal charges — once they have a place to live.
The organization she founded, Common Ground, had converted two derelict Manhattan hotels into attractive residences for the homeless using a combination of private and public funding.
