Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik follow-up regarding concerns over the growing homeless encampment at Little Norway park.
Thanks for taking the time to speak on Friday - I heard and share your concerns about the impact of the encampment on the community, and responding with seriousness. Our communities and the public spaces we count on have to be welcoming to all, and connecting people to housing and services is a commitment we share.
Following up from our conversation, I want to share some immediate updates on work being done in Little Norway Park with you and the BQNA. The work is coordinated across multiple City divisions, including Parks ambassadors, the Encampment office through Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS), Streets to Homes, Toronto Fire, and the Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) which is the clean-up crew. Currently, their schedule includes:
Encampment Office and PFR’s Encampment Operations team visit Monday through Friday. They visit to determine and coordinate supports across departments.
Streets-to-Homes staff visit regularly to offer services and supports, including indoor referrals and work to develop housing plans.
A mobile parks security team visits daily, reporting new encampments to the City and emergencies to 911.
On ensuring the park is free from sharps and other items of safety concern:
In late August, Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS) added Community Safety Teams to support safety efforts around the shelter at 545 Lakeshore Blvd W. With the proximity to Little Norway Park, they are including this in their work, and will remove discarded drug paraphernalia and provide information to support the work of the Encampment Office. They work 7 days a week and on holidays.
Following our call, TSSS also put in a request to have Parks, Forestry, and Recreation’s Needle Crew to do daily sweeps at Little Norway Park.
As always, any illegal or dangerous activity should be reported to Police. Please note that if you witness illegal activity, please contact the Toronto Police Service non-emergency line at 416-808-2222 or visit the TPS web site
You’re aware that city councillor’s offices do not have the authority to direct police operations, or to interfere in legal or criminal matters.
In City staff’s work to track this encampment, I can share the most recent numbers we have from TSSS staff, from Monday August 26:
Encamped residents: 14 encampments with 17 people staying in the park.
Waste removal: 1,345 kg of material was removed from the park in August.
I know that it is very challenging - there are currently 431 encampments across the City, in 169 parks and on transportation property. This is largely due to our shelter system being well over capacity with 250 people being turned away from the City’s shelter intake system daily because of unavailability of beds. At the same time, the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit program, which was helping people move from shelters and into affordable housing, has been stalled due to delays from the Ontario Government. Toronto has been without any Housing Benefits for almost four months due to Provincial inaction, resulting in a backlog of people unable to exit the shelter system.
In July, Council urged the provincial government to immediately allocate housing benefit funds. I will keep advocating for the immediate release of Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit funding and continue to work for more investment in affordable, supportive housing. I encourage you to reach out to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Paul Calandra, about this at Paul.Calandra@pc.ola.org.
Our office will continue to provide regular updates on progress, and to address the concerns shared. Please feel free to reach out to me directly anytime. Your insight and information is important as we work together to resolve this.
Thank you.
Ausma Malik
City Councillor for Ward 10, Spadina–Fort York
What you can do
If you witness illegal activity, medical distress or aggressive behaviour, please call 911. To help our city staff expedite the matter, please send incident reports (photos and/or descriptions of concerning activities) to the following:
Marouan Malaeb-Proulx
or
Councillor Ausma Malik
Streets to Homes can be reached by calling 311. They operate 24/7 and will do wellness checks, bring food, water, supplies, and assist with getting people inside and sheltered.
Homes First, operators of the shelter at 545 Lake Shore organize community clean-up days, which involve harm reduction workers to ensure safe handling of any needles, etc. There is also a resident clean-up team that goes out several times a week to help with this issue. Harm reduction partners provide community outreach to the encampments, as well 42 Division and their Neighbourhood Community Officers can help with non-emergency encampment issues. They can be reached at the non-emergency Police line 416-808-2222. It was noted that many of the drug users in the encampments at Little Norway Park are not residents of the shelter."
Street to Homes outreach and support program
Services and support for Individuals staying outside
Links to resources about the City's drug strategy, safety, and homelessness strategy.
SafeTO: This is a general overview of the City's Ten-Year Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
Toronto Community Crisis Service: The City's new alternative client centered approach to responding to someone in crisis that focuses on health, prevention and well-being.
HousingTO 2020-2023 Action Plan - a fulsome plan for action across the full spectrum of housing.
Housing & Homelessness Research & Reports: here you can find reports for issues relating to homelessness data to data on subsidized housing.
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