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TDRC Media Releases |
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Media advisory
April 24, 2005
Why is the city closing
a shelter that should be
Press Conference and
Community Meal* On Monday, April 25, 2005, the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty invite the media, homeless people, and the general public to gather at Nathan Phillips Square / City Hall to protest an outrageous and scandalous turn of events. The Out of the Cold shelters are closing down. The main shelter system continues to be overcrowded and continues to present ever greater health risks for people trying to sleep or work there. The Board of Health is taking steps to stop the outbreak of tuberculosis and bedbugs in the city’s shelter system. As city officials are closing a shelter at 321 Jarvis Street, recent surveys done by TDRC and outreach workers show that there is still a crisis in the city’s shelter system. Cathy Crowe, co-founder of TDRC states, “More beds are needed, not less! Homeless people need housing, a place they can feel safe. The elimination of beds, harassment and intimidation is no way to deal with the disaster on our streets.” Now, the City is pushing people into the streets, while a ban on homeless people sleeping in public spaces in effect. Police harassment of homeless people is increasing, at the same time as the City is closing shelter space that must remain open. “This is outrageous and directly threatens the safety of homeless people,” says Bob Rose of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee. Speakers will include representatives from Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, CUPE, and homeless people using 321 Jarvis Street Shelter (targeted for closure). For more information, contact TDRC at tdrc@tdrc.net -30- |