![]() All furnishings are of designer quality and have been selected to provide a stylish, comfortable and functional atmosphere. It boasts quality finishes including granite counter tops, Stainless steal appliances, customized wine storage and floor to ceiling windows. This space is approx 700 square feet in an open concept layout, that is bright and spacious. "Occupancy in the shelter system is not fixed, and often fluctuates through the day or night as clients come and go," the city said in a statement Saturday morning. "During this extreme weather event, our priority is to work together – across all sites – to get as many people inside as possible.This suite is a one bedroom two bathroom suite on the 40th floor. The city says the extra spaces were created by expanding warming centre capacity from 142 spaces to 195 spaces, and opening 237 temporary contingency spaces at various sites where space allowed, such as common areas. That's in addition to the 9,000 shelter spaces at more than 100 shelters city-wide, it said. The statement added the city has added 432 additional spaces to the shelter system, which were available for use Thursday night. "As always, the City's top priority is supporting our most vulnerable residents." ![]() (Paul Borkwood/CBC)ĬBC Toronto asked the city to comment on whether any or all of its warming centres were full Friday, but the city did not provide direct confirmation.Ī spokesperson replied in an emailed statement that the city has "directed all programs across Toronto's emergency shelter system not to turn anyone away from shelters or warming centres during the extreme cold." Lorraine Lam is an an outreach worker and a member of the Shelter and Housing Justice Network, and was among those who warned the centres were at capacity. "In the work that I do, there's always this reality in the back of my mind that whenever my phone rings, it might be somebody that I know who's frozen to death," she said. Lorraine Lam, an outreach worker and a member of the Shelter and Housing Justice Network, was among those who warned the centres were at capacity and said images of people sleeping on the street in the frigid temps should be a signal to all about how dire the situation is. And we've had people show up after we've been full wanting a bed so that's been a challenge for us." 'It's heartbreaking,' says outreach worker We've been full since we opened on Monday, we've been at capacity. WATCH | This community centre is working to get people out of extreme cold:ĭuration 6:51 Toronto's Cecil Community Centre is pivoting to provide a warm place to sleep for vulnerable people as the temperature plummets, says executive director Daniel Anckle.Ĭecil executive director, Danny Anckle said the centre, which has 30 cots physically distanced, was out of spots even before the temperatures plummeted. While the North York centre was fully occupied Saturday morning, the city said space remained in Scarborough and that as of 4 a.m. The city also has two other warming sites set up in North York and Scarborough. Cecil is one of two downtown warming centres, the other being at Metro Hall, which the city confirmed was also at capacity as of Saturday morning. On Friday morning, the Cecil Community Centre, near Toronto's Kensington Market, told CBC Toronto it was at capacity. The commission also cited a recent Ontario Superior Court decision denying the municipality of Waterloo's request to remove an encampment when adequate shelter space wasn't available, saying programs to support the homeless must be grounded in human rights-based approaches and delivered with respect and compassion." Keeping members of our community from freezing to death on the streets is part of that essential work." "Governments at all levels must work to limit the ongoing effects of this discrimination. It's a situation many say demands urgent action from all levels of government, including the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which said Friday that people experiencing homelessness routinely experience "systemic discrimination." Homelessness advocates say Toronto's warming centres are full and are calling for more to be done, while the city scrambles to add more spaces amid an extreme cold warning.Īs a blast of Arctic sent Toronto into a deep freeze, making it feel as cold as -30 C, several homelessness advocates reported some if not all of Toronto's warming centres were at capacity.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |