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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsHousing IssuesStarted 5yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should homeless individuals, that have refused available shelter or housing, be allowed to sleep or encamp on public property?

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 14.9k Canada voters.

38%
Yes
62%
No
24%
Yes
58%
No
11%
Yes, and create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine
2%
No, and make it a criminal offense
2%
Yes, but only in designated areas
2%
No, but create more social programs to provide free food, clothing, and medicine
1%
Yes, to sleep but not encamp

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 14.9k Canada voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 14.9k Canada voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Canada voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B4BH7Y8from Ontario  answered…1yr1Y

This is a ridiculous question. The real issue is providing housing - acceptable housing - for everyone. It's not black and white. No one wants to be in an encampment and nobody wants them to have to be there.

 @9VJLT3Zfrom Alberta  answered…2yrs2Y

Homeless shelters need drastic expansion and improvement, and hostile architecture should be banned.

 @9VZT3KKfrom British Columbia  answered…2yrs2Y

No, but we should assess the current shelters and housing to see why they may be refusing to use them.

 @9VF2RTRfrom British Columbia  answered…2yrs2Y

Don’t want them on my private place. I have had enough of feeling unsafe in my community and home. Not fair as a tax paying citizen that I have no rights anymore for my safety

 @9FY56SG from Ontario  answered…3yrs3Y

No, we fund these welfare programs for their benefit and if they choose not to accept thats their problem

 @9VCMPDGfrom British Columbia  answered…2yrs2Y

No, however creating alternative living solutions or proper areas outside of the “main areas” of denser populations/towns.

 @9WKCQFTfrom New Brunswick  answered…2yrs2Y

We need to call it what it is: MENTAL HEALTH BREAKDOWN. These people need psych wards. They need to be helped. They need to know that they are wanted, loved, cared for. Not societies throw always.

 @BDQXWX6from Alberta  answered…1mo1MO

Homeless individuals should not be allowed to refuse available shelter/housing. And the government should invest more in the care and rehabilitation of homeless and otherwise drugged out individuals back into functioning members of society.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Drug Crisis Prompts Portland to Reboot City Government

In a sign of either hope or desperation, Portland voters decided to throw out their entire government structure and replace it with a weaker mayor, expanded City Council and ranked choice voting.A major driving factor was the passage of “Measure 110” decriminalizing all drugs in 2020, which was backed by 74 percent of Multnomah County’s residents. Voters couldn’t — or at least didn’t — anticipate how this policy change would reshape a city already strapped for money, dealing with a public health crisis and confronting rising rates of homelessness and fentanyl abuse.Drug use shot up, homelessness worsened and taxpayers fled.“Political rhetoric in 2020-2021 in the City of Portland was incredibly ideologically driven,” Gonzalez said, explaining that there was a “default conversation” on topics like homelessness or police reform that shut down an exchange of ideas.The City Council race, meanwhile, is mayhem. Portland is switching from four at-large seats to twelve seats representing four districts. The dozens of candidates include Black Lives Matter leaders, nonprofit advocates, business owners and police officers.There are 19 people running for mayor and 98 people seeking seats on the City Council. They’re nearly all campaigning on left-of-center platforms — this is Portland.Pandemic closures, protests, elevated crime rates and rising homelessness buffeted many liberal cities in recent years, including San Francisco and Minneapolis. But policy choices made by the city and state aggravated their impact in Portland.The ramifications are measurable: Nearly 12,000 people moved out of Multnomah County between 2020 and 2023, per data from Portland State University. The exodus between 2020 and 2021 alone took nearly $1.1 billion in taxable income out of the city, according to data analyzed by the Economic Innovation Group. Portland’s once bustling downtown is nearly empty, and a negative national reputation clouds its economic future.Drug decriminalization and the city’s open camping rules compounded the feeling of insecurity. Homeless encampments spread through empty public spaces and filled sidewalks during the lockdown, and some became epicenters for the fentanyl trade. Even Portlanders who voted for decriminalization and believe in a compassionate approach to homelessness didn’t feel as safe in their own neighborhoods.

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 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...…2yrs2Y

Should the government incentivize the construction of affordable housing?

Yes

▲  2.7k3 replies2 agree

About This Data

Based on 14.9k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should homeless individuals, that have refused available shelter or housing, be allowed to sleep or encamp on public property?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 25, 2026, from https://canada.isidewith.com/polls/4731387022

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