City settles lawsuit over homeless shelters

Officials agree to ensure physical-distancing standards are followed

The city of Toronto will release regular and detailed reports on its efforts to ensure physical distancing standards are achieved at all homeless shelters, according to an interim lawsuit settlement announced Tuesday.

The city must use best efforts to have two metres between every shelter bed and end the use of bunk beds, according to the agreement. It must also make shelter beds available to all shelter clients — including anyone who has received support services from the city’s shelter system since March 11, including people who have left to live in tent encampments.

Progress reports will be released at an undisclosed frequency until the city reaches and sustains compliance for two months.

Tuesday’s settlement follows a lawsuit launched by a coalition of homelessness service providers and human rights

last month, which al- leged the city was failing to pro

safe conditions in shelters, respites and drop-in centres. As a result of the agreement,

emergency court hearing set to be heard in early June has been adjourned indefinitely.

The lawsuit, which also names the province of Ontario, is still pending but no future court dates have been set.

Greg Cook, an outreach worker with Sanctuary Ministries, one of the organizations who filed the lawsuit, said he is glad the settlement has been reached, though he believes the city should have taken more drastic action sooner.

“I feel like it’s 10 weeks too late,” he said, noting that there have been more than 300 cases of COVID-19 among shelter residents and two deaths.

Meanwhile, he said, lots of people have left shelters and moved into tents because they didn’t feel safe.

“The main reason we did this is for people to be healthy and people to be able to physically distance the same way anyone could at home,” Cook said.