Voters told Taproot that tackling homelessness is an election issue
The growing responses to Taproot's listening work in the lead up to October's municipal election reveal that many voters want solutions to homelessness in Edmonton.
Earlier this year, Taproot launched our listening campaign at several in-person and virtual events, as well as posted a 2025 election question on our site. We have been gathering responses ever since, and at last count, more than 900 people have provided them. The listening was built around a simple question: "What issues do you care about as you consider who to vote for in the 2025 municipal election, and why?"
At least 167 of these respondents, or roughly more than 15%, told Taproot they are concerned that Edmontonians are unhoused and social challenges materialize when people lack stable housing. The most common concerns these respondents identified were the safety of housed and unhoused people alike, how the visibility of homelessness can deter people from visiting downtown and other central areas, the need for policing and social programs to be effective, and how essential it is for city council to have a positive relationship with the provincial government to make meaningful change.
The responses Taproot received are filled with emotions. "I live in McCauley, which is the dumping ground of the city for unwanted humans," one respondent said. "What will council and the mayor do to spread this misery throughout Edmonton? Why is McCauley ground zero for misery? Why can't I leave my house without tripping over stoned people? Why can't the city figure out how to help these people transition from the street into helpful, safe communities where they might have a shot at dignity?"
Respondents said the realities of homelessness are demoralizing. "It feels like society isn't working when large numbers are not having their basic needs met," one person said.
"It's heartbreaking and traumatizing," another added.
Taproot respondents were roughly split between expressing a desire for police to be more involved with homeless people and those expressing a desire for police to be less involved. Many in the latter group said addressing the underlying causes of homelessness could be a solution. "Prioritizing the safety of the city's most vulnerable populations (matters to me) — because people's lives are important, and because it costs way less to provide upstream solutions than it does to send out first responders to address the symptoms," a respondent said. "I want elected officials to divest from policing and move funds into community safety and supports, homelessness prevention, addiction support, and supportive and transitional housing."
Many who answered Taproot's election question said that, though homelessness is a provincial responsibility, it's still a municipal election issue in 2025. Numerous respondents said candidates who can build bridges with the province, while still championing the city, will win their vote. "We need provincial support now," one said. "It's clear to Edmontonians that our relationship with the premier and her cabinet is frayed and tense. We need a mayor whose vision appeals to provincial governance without bowing to it. Someone who can make issues like housing for people struggling with addiction and poverty and socioeconomic disadvantages worth investing in. That's who we need."
Taproot has worked to contextualize the current council's work on homelessness ahead of the Oct. 20 vote. This work included our Housing Complex series (where, among many things, we examined how Edmonton's work to tackle its challenges compare to other cities in North America and globally), analysis of city reports (which show that one in eight homes in Edmonton cannot afford their housing), and a synopsis of council actions, from declaring a homelessness emergency, nearly being sued for its city-directed dismantling of encampments, to the use of zoning reform and sales of public land to increase Edmonton's supply of attainable housing.
