OCAP plans march on city hall over Toronto’s shelter system
Posted February 16, 2016 1:23 pm.
Last Updated February 16, 2016 2:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Following a scathing report on the state of Toronto’s shelter system, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty is calling for a march on city hall on Wednesday.
The report, titled ‘Out in the Cold: The Crisis Within Toronto’s Shelter System,’ was conducted by OCAP members and supporters during the week of Jan. 18. Eight of the interfaith Out of the Cold facilities and 2 Warming Centres in the city were visited and 105 service users were surveyed.
The OCAP says the report confirms the city’s “consistent failure in providing adequate shelter to the homeless.”
The organization is calling for the following changes to be made:
1. The City must enforce its 90 per cent maximum occupancy policy for shelters.
2. Immediately open up new spaces to shelter people, including the federal armouries.
3. End discriminatory practices and adopt a harm-reduction approach.
4. Prevent further loss of shelter beds.
5. Respect the right to housing.
According to the report, the three major issues facing Toronto’s homeless shelter crisis are overcrowding, poor living conditions, and high demand.
The march will start at Queen and Sherbourne streets around 11 a.m. and proceed from there to city hall. It will coincide with the city council meeting on the 2016 budget.
“For years, the city’s response to the growing problem of destitution has been as inadequate as it has been politically possible to get away with,” the report states. “City council has made only minor concessions to community demands and despite decades of criticism and numerous freezing deaths shelters remain overcrowded and inaccessible and the conditions within them intolerable.”
Out in the Cold: The Crisis Within Toronto's Shelter System
