The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty’s recent report Out In The Cold: The Crisis In Toronto’s Shelter System has revealed the City’s inadequate response to homelessness, particularly in the cold winter months. The report includes findings from interviews with over 100 service users at numerous Out of The Cold locations.
This report confirms HPAP member’s concerns that Toronto shelter’s are over-crowded and inaccessible, contributing to serious health risks for people who are homeless.
The Toronto Star published OCAP’s findings in an article that asserts that “Toronto is failing to meet the basic needs of its homeless population”.
HPAP supports OCAP in demanding that the City take the following measures to address this crisis:
- Ensure the shelter system’s 90% maximum occupancy policy
- Immediately open new spaces to shelter people, including the Federal Armouries
- End discriminatory practices within the shelter system
- No further loss of shelter beds
- Respect the right to housing
Join OCAP for a Public Release of the Report and March to City Hall on Wednesday, February 17 at 11:00 AM, starting at Queen and Sherbourne.
Health Providers Against Poverty 