Homelessness has become a severe issue in the Town of Midland, and a town councillor is sounding the alarm.

Ward 2 Councillor, Bill Gordon, says you only need to see the number of people living in tents to get a sense of just how serious the problem has become.

"We have a tent city," says Gordon, "we actually have several tent cities, but this is the one that seems to draw the most attention."

Several makeshift tent sites have been popping up in the bush by the town's waterfront, not far from the downtown, becoming a popular spot for some people to pitch their tents.

People who frequent the area say they have seen the tents for some time, and are saddened to see the town's most vulnerable people are still living in these circumstances.

"I think it's incredibly sad," said a Midland resident, "the living conditions, the fact that they can't afford to live a normal life living out here in this cold and these conditions are horrible."

The waterfront isn't the only area of town where the tents are popping up, and many in the area say it's due to a lack of affordable housing.

"There are times when we have to reach out to other shelters to look for available beds," says Steven Pelletier with the Guesthouse Shelter.

The Midland shelter has been around since 2003. It has 18 beds and serves about 60 meals each day. It often helps the people who live in the tents, but Pelletier says the service can only do so much.

"There are times when we rely on emergency motel voucher programs system," says Pelletier, "as well as we use diversion techniques to see if we can connect any other resources that our clients may have."

Councillor Gordon says he will be turning to his colleagues this week at council asking them to debate this issue and move forward. As for the Guesthouse Shelter, it's open year round almost always at capacity.