As of May 5, 204, there were 256 encampments at 131 city properties
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“A blitz of community and social resources” should be deployed to deal with encampments of homeless people in city parks, says a recommendation to Toronto’s municipal politicians.
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The so-called “enhanced outreach model” — one that leans on a “case-management approach” to encampments rather than having police eject the squatters — will be presented to members of Toronto’s economic development committee on May 29.
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“It’s really a blitz of that comes to a park again with the efforts to connect people to housing or shelter,” said Gord Tanner, general manager of the city’s shelter and support services department.
The report says the plan will not add to the cash-strapped city’s budget.
Tanner told media on Wednesday that it’s already working in Allen Gardens where 97 tent dwellers have been housed, and 320 others were referred to the shelter system. Only nine tents remain at the Jarvis-Carlton Sts. park — down from a high of 84 in July 2023.
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Tanner said the plan involves identifying local agencies and groups to work with the homeless in encampments. It calls for the city to deploy a staffed trailer office to each encampment, bringing in supports like mental health assistance, and deploying safety teams to deal with drug paraphernalia — including needles — and other trash.
As of May 5, there were 256 tents on 131 city-owned properties.
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“This entire approach is meeting people where they are — whatever their vulnerabilities,” added Councillor Alejandra Bravo, chair of the economic development committee.
“And then connecting them on the health-care side in relationship to whether it’s physical health or mental health, that case-work approach is something that requires resources, and we would like to understand how successful it can be.”
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Bravo spoke against the encampment clearings conducted by the city in 2021.
“It’s not a strategy that works,” she insisted. “It removes people from one place and to go where?
“There’s nowhere to go inside. This approach is finding pathways into shelter and stable housing. Not herding people that are already vulnerable, and so that’s what I think we’re looking at,” she added. “There are situations where there’s a safety concern, where there’s fire, that may require a notice for removal, but that’s laid out now. We want a situation where we don’t have anybody living outdoors.”
The report also calls on senior levels of government to pony up $54 million to enable those in 300 homeless households to find permanent shelter each month.
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