There are 9000 homeless living in the streets of Toronto this winter. There are thousands more in shelters. Still, there are not enough shelters, and some folks just don’t want to go there.

I’m doing the east wall of this underpass, starting at the north end.

There are, I estimate, over 50 people living in this underpass.

It’s very dark and dank, with eerie lights at regular intervals. I’m not big on the underwater pieces, because it does nothing to relieve that dark dank feeling.

This underpass is heavily travailed. In the daytime, the homeless bundle up their belongings, and stack them by the railing, on the road side. This creates a path for the throngs of humanity.

At least we are above water now.

I’m confused about so many homeless in Canada’s richest city.

Who did we paint this for?

I spoke with a couple of the homeless. They seemed happy to have the walls painted. The other side is VERY different from this. That’s another post, later.

Pics taken by Resa – September 29, 2019

Toronto, Canada

The Artists:

Lead artist is Tannis Nielsen.  She mentored a group of young artists as part of the mural making process.

Above: There was a homeless woman living a few doors over from me, in front of an empty store. She’d leave her belongings there in the day and come back at night to sleep. One day, a business moved in. They bundled her belongings and put them at the curb, where the trash gets picked up.

Happy Holidays!