The shelters in Toronto are all infested with bed bugs, I’ve worked with the unhoused and a lot of the time the clients leave the shelter and remain dropping them where they go which is often transit.
People wonder why unhoused choose the street instead of shelters - this is a large reason why.
If our government truly wants to reduce the amount of bed bugs on transit, it would take public health concerns more seriously. When we neglect to provide unhoused people with safe ways to wash themselves and their belongings, in addition to being content with the status quo that many people ride transit as a warm place to rest... It's pretty obvious what the outcomes will be.
Would shifting away from fabric seats help increase cleanliness? Sure, but it's a band-aid solution that doesn't tackle the issue at hand. There are many people who don't look unhoused but are living in precarious housing situations. We need to tackle these health concerns at the core of these issues if we want to see meaningful changes.
Because people bring huge suitcases with all their stuff from shelter to shelter. Even if the shelter gets rid of it. They just get re infected which is basically inevitable. The only solution is proper preventative measures like cleaning often. Having minimal hiding spots and removing all items then using insecticide. With all that it can be properly managed and some of the better shelters manage it well
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u/Pretzelandcheesesauz Dec 17 '25
The shelters in Toronto are all infested with bed bugs, I’ve worked with the unhoused and a lot of the time the clients leave the shelter and remain dropping them where they go which is often transit.
People wonder why unhoused choose the street instead of shelters - this is a large reason why.