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TDRC Media Releases |
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MEDIA ADVISORY Release Date: Thursday September 18th 2003 Emergency Shelter Needed As Hurricane Isabel Nears (Toronto) With 50 millimetres of rain and harsh winds expected throughout Friday in Toronto, the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) is calling on the City of Toronto to open up an emergency shelter for the city’s homeless population who would otherwise be on the streets. Hurricane Isabel is expected to deliver massive rainfall as well as winds blowing between 40 and 70km/hour, with the worst impact occurring in Toronto’s east end, an area which has a high concentration of homeless people. “Toronto’s Metro Hall should be opened to the homeless population immediately”, said Cathy Crowe, RN, a Steering Committee member of TDRC. “While the City and Metro Police have been warning about flooding and telling Torontonians to avoid walking through open spaces during the high winds, little has been said of the plight of the homeless in the midst of a storm of this magnitude.” The recently-released Toronto Report Card on Housing & Homelessness by the City of Toronto indicates that 31,985 different people stayed in Toronto’s emergency shelters in 2002, including 4,779 children. There are presently fewer than 5,000 shelter beds (for singles, families and youth) available in the shelter system throughout the City of Toronto, and most of the City’s shelters are extremely crowded presently. In interviews with outreach workers in two catchment areas in Toronto this week, over 500 homeless people were found to be living on the streets (outside of the shelter system). It is imperative that homeless individuals are given an opportunity to come inside throughout this upcoming storm. City-owned property such as Metro Hall must be opened as an emergency shelter for this homeless population to escape serious harm throughout this storm. For more information, contact TDRC at tdrc@tdrc.net -30- |