Thursday: Emergency: Hostel Beds are Full

[ocap] Thursday: Emergency: Hostel Beds are Full

Emergency – Hostel Beds are Full

Committee Room 1
City Hall
11am
Thursday, February 21, 2008

In the past 2 years 300 beds have been removed from Toronto’s hostel system

Four people from OCAP and TDRC investigated the hostel system Monday
February 18, 2008. They visited hostels and made phone calls throughout
the evening to assess Toronto’s hostel bed capacity. They also
interviewed people in the streets about their situation. By 10:50pm there
were no hostel beds for men or couples in the whole hostel system,
including the Out of the Cold shelters.

This is a very dangerous situation. Not only do crowded hostels create
violence and psychological damage, but many people will face the bracing
cold of February and can sustain cold injuries and even perish.

The Riverdale shelter closed in the summer of 2007. It now remains an
empty building and should be employed to deal with this emergency. As
well, other buildings should be made available immediately.

Deputations regarding the lack of hostel beds and homeless people’s
condition will be presented to the Community Development and Recreation
Committee at 11am Thursday February 21, 2008.

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Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
10 Britain St. Toronto, ON M5A 1R6
416-925-6939 ocap@tao.ca www.ocap.ca
**