City’s homeless community demands better winter plan
Report recommends extending hotel leases, allowing park camping
Toronto’s homeless community and their supporters are demanding a better plan from the city for the coming winter.
The Shelter Housing Justice Network, which represents members of the homeless community and those who work with them, issued a report Tuesday with recommendations that it said could help the city improve on past plans for the colder months.
The group wants the city to extend leases it holds on hotels that are used to house the homeless during the pandemic.
It also wants the city to allow the homeless to camp in public spaces.
“The city must repeal the nocamping bylaw,” said Greg Cook, an outreach worker at Sanctuary Ministries Toronto. “People have the right to exist.”
Homeless encampments popped up throughout the city when COVID-19 hit in March 2020. Hundreds fled shelters for fear of contracting the virus.
The city won a court battle last year that upheld its powers to enact and enforce the nocamping bylaw. This past summer, the city cleared three encampments in public parks, some by force with the police riot squad.
“The city cannot force people to come inside and avail themselves of the many services offered by the city, but living in an encampment in a city park or right-of-way is not permitted,” said city spokesperson Anthony Toderian.
The city said it has moved nearly 6,640 people to permanent housing from the shelter system in the time since the pandemic hit and August this year. The overdose crisis in the province is also hitting the homeless at a much higher rate than the general public.
On Tuesday, advocates added 16 names — many John Does — to a memorial for homeless people who have died on the streets and in shelters during August and September.
The city said it “continues to explore appropriate options” to ensure vulnerable residents have access to safe indoor shelter space and that it plans to “continue current response efforts” until at least the end of the year.
The city’s winter services plan will be shared in early November, Toderian said, and will include details on 24-hour respite centres and warming centres that will be activated when extreme cold-weather alerts are issued.