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Thursday, December 12, 2024
(NEW: additional December 13 update – at the bottom of the page)
Current Status:
As of December 6, the encampment at Little Norway Park has decreased to 18 tents with 18 people staying in the park. 12 people are continuing to work with City staff and 6 people now have housing plans. No encampment residents are currently declining services.
With a Little Norway Park Action Plan in place and increased presence of City staff in the park, 29 encampments have been reduced since November 1st, and 53 referrals to shelter and housing have been completed since January, with a dedicated effort over the last three weeks. A total of 17,475 kg of material has been removed since January.
Recent Updates:
Over the last few weeks, Streets to Homes have increased their visits in the park.
Another commitment from the November 6 meeting began this week: encampment prevention measures were initiated on Monday December 9th, a focused and intensive deployment of supports and resources with the overall goal of ensuring all residents move to indoor space.
Starting on December 16, the Better Living Centre will be open for the winter season with staff prioritizing referrals from Little Norway Park.
City staff are continuing to work towards the installation of a trailer and a schedule of visits for community partners by the end of December. They are also working to establish the regular working group meetings for the new year, where Deputy Mayor Malik, local service providers and City Staff will meet to review community feedback and guide encampment response to ensure people are housed as quickly and safely as possible.
The following enhanced services continue to be in place:
Since November 19th Corporate Security has been positioned at the park 24/7 to report new encampments and provide general security services.
Since November 25th Community Safety Teams monitor the area 24/7 for needle sweeps, provide de-escalation, conflict resolution, crisis prevention and intervention supports. They can be reached through 211 or directly at 647-455-0062 or 647-455-2800.
Streets to Homes visits building relationships with individuals to assess their needs, focus outreach and housing-related follow-up supports to find and keep housing.
Outreach staff from community partners visit to provide specialized supports and resources focused on health, mental health, obtaining IDs and income supports, referral to harm reduction services and wellness checks.
Neighbourhood Community Officers engage with residents and address safety concerns
Toronto Fire Services provide fire safety education and information, conduct regular fire risk assessments.
Parks Ambassadors visit daily for litter cleanup and needle sweep.
While we work with seriousness to address the situation at Little Norway and respond to community concerns, please consider adding your name to the petition to tackle homelessness by ensuring shelters are opened equitably across the city, not only in some neighbourhoods.
Ausma
Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (she/her)
Toronto City Councillor - Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York
416-392-4044 | councillor_malik@toronto.ca
Additional update – Saturday, December 13, 2024
Dear BQNA Board,
As you may have seen, overnight last night there was a fire at Little Norway Park. I’ve been in touch with Toronto Fire Services and Toronto Shelter and Support Services throughout the day and wanted to provide an update.
I’m relieved that injuries were minor and thankful for the quick action by first responders and outreach workers. City staff have been on the ground and have removed debris and completed clean up.
Fire in our parks is not tolerable and is scary for both people in encampments and in the surrounding communities. As temperatures drop these occurrences have a tendency to spike, underscoring the urgency of the work to connect people with indoor space.
As of yesterday, the encampment at Little Norway Park had decreased again to 17 tents with 13 people staying in the park. 10 people are continuing to work with City staff and 3 people have housing plans. Following the fire today, Streets-to-Homes staff have referred 2 people into shelters and are continuing to be on the ground, connecting with folks to offer immediate shelter options. As I noted in my update earlier this week, staff will also be prioritizing space in the Better Living Centre winter respite centre (opening Monday) for people from Little Norway Park.
We’ll keep working together to connect those in the park to shelter and services for lasting results that ensure the park is a safe place for everyone in our community to enjoy.
Best,
Ausma
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