It’s been confirmed that City has decided to install new respite centres this winter to help the homeless in Toronto.
The Green P parking lot behind Lamport Stadium in Liberty Village is said to be one of the temporary locations and is scheduled to open on the first of November. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idgs86pDxhQ[/embedyt]
Last Monday an “Open House” took place for the residents of the Fort York area to discuss the $2.5-million pre-fab structure for transients that would soon be coming to a location in their neighbourhood. In attendance were several staff members from Shelter, SSHA (Shelter and Housing) and the Fred Victor Centre that were trying to sell citizens on the idea of the pre-fab structures. Attendees of the open house were greeted by the staff from these organizations who wore “Ask Me” tags and handed out brochures.
Gore Park which is located directly across from the Princess Gates is set to open as early as November. The soon to be installed structure will have no windows and only artificial light. It is said to house up to 100 people. That’s $25,000 per transient just to build, not including the cost per diem which is around $105 a night for each person sheltered. Similar shelters have been used for the homeless in many U.S. cities according to a rep of the Calgary company. 
On September 5th, the beautiful heritage building located at 545 Lakeshore Blvd, was opened as a temporary low-barrier respite shelter. During the session on Monday, it was learned that residents had only known of the shelter a week prior to it’s opening and that was due to spotting 3 security officers in bullet proof vests out front.
Spokesman Patricia Anderson from SSHA stated that a total of three pre-fabs have been purchased (at $2.5-million a pop) with an option for a fourth, with no location being mentioned.
Hello I am Wrighting this and you can publish it if you like, I’m putting my 2cents in this . Let me start by saying I am pissed because not only does the city once again think they can just do what ever they want but again they do not consult or think of the family’s and business’ That they affect with doing something like this . I have lived in liberty Village for 5yrs now and have seen this place change for the better and have gotten better . More family’s have moved in here and made it there home , many businesses have come in and are doing well . Now the city thinks they can just come in and put a homeless shelter smack in the middle of our community with out consulting the residents??? We pay taxes we pay good money for the place where we live ! This will bring nothing but bad things to liberty village , we already deal with the homeless as it is for that last year and it’s getting worse with people standing outside business asking for money , they go into stores and just hanging around I have and as many other people do have a young child and I would be afraid for her and her mom to be walking around liberty as we have done for the last 5yrs . It’s a tradition in liberty village for people to take there walks in the night , Sunday’s late evening! What will happen when this tent comes here people will not feel safe . The Sunday market will be an issue people will not be able to atten because these homeless people will be walking all over the place . This will not only cause an issue with residents but there will be security risks and not to think of the drugs and violence that will come along , we are already dealing with issues city wide why add more fuel to the fire .
The city should have consulted the people that live here and that own homes here , it will be an issue for renters and buyers not only to say it will bring this community down..
NO TO THE HOMELESS TENT SHELTER!!!! JUST SAY NO !!!!!!
I agree , it’s not heartless, it’s common sense, the homeless people in the area have never caused a problem before because there aren’t any. Now we will be bussing them in to ruin this neighbourhood. Yes, businesses will hurt, needed parking will be lost, residents property value will go down, and the new ambitious young people starting their careers will be harassed— but some homeless people will sleep better….
Wow, you have paid taxes here a whole 5 years. Well from someone who has paid taxes in this riding for 35 years. Please go back to the suburbs where you clearly belong and take your nimby attitude with you. Thank you.
Shaun, you are a heartless human being. As a resident of this community and neighbourhood for the last 20+ years, I’m 100% behind this.
A civilization will be judged by how it treats it’s most vunerable.
I’d rather a temporary shelter in an area parking lot than people freezing to death on our streets.
Remind me to snub you if I ever see you around the ‘hood.
Agreed.
17-year resident here, and I live across from Lamport. I also support this.
Drugs and violence already exist in the neighbourhood. They started once the area built up, and bars moved in. The big issues we have in our little corner of LV all come from drunk people leaving the bar, or TFC game, and fighting, urinating everywhere, breaking glass on our front stoop, and so on.
The homeless people who have been in the neighbourhood forever have never caused a problem.
Shaun, if seeing homeless people makes you uncomfortable, good – it should. No-one should have to be homeless in this city. I’d encourage you to volunteer at the shelter and help fix the issue. Wouldn’t it be nice if Toronto didn’t need shelters at all? Help make it happen.
Let me start off by saying I have sympathy for homeless people, I’m not a heartless person who doesn’t want to support them; but this entire plan just seems like a huge slap in the face for residents and employees of this community.
For 4 year I’ve been working hard at a job in the Carpet Factory and I’ve finally saved enough money to move here, and they put in this! What drove me to Liberty Village was it’s security, it’s safety, and it’s young professional vibe. Now everyday I’m probably going to be harassed on my way into work for money. For a lot of you it’s just annoying, but as a young woman it’s more than that; it’s uncomfortable and it makes me feel unsafe.
There aren’t even any homeless people in Liberty Village, this is a young, working professional community that is finally almost in its prime; I’ve heard it’s going to cost the city more money to bus the homeless people in here. Plus we’re going to lose a lot of parking spots; this is really going to hurt people who rely on this lot because it’s already overflowing daily. I’m really disappointed in the city’s lack of care for residents and employers.
The other thing too is that this is not a “temporary” centre as they keep saying. If it was just for a month or two, or even the whole winter I would be okay with it— it’s going to be here for a minimum of 2 years! 2 years?! Imagine the damage this will do to Liberty Village in 2 years. They’re planning on opening a Kid and Co. Daycare across the street, there’s not a chance I would ever send my kids there now.
It’s just a real shame; like this is such a nice area, too see it get destroyed is going to be heartbreaking
I was looking at an apartment nearby, (on king st, called King’s CLub) I’m glad I saw this before putting the down payment on, there’s not a chance I’d ever move here now. Too bad, this is really going to hurt businesses. I feel badly for that cafe , School, they have such good pancakes but there’s no way I’m ever going near that place once this centre opens.
I’ve worked and volunteered with homeless people for 7+ years, it’s a frustrating industry. You do get the odd person who’s really just been down on their luck, but for the most part it’s people who have no ambition to actually get a job and just like to bother people who do. Rip Liberty Village
Wow I was going to buy a place here glad I seen this I’ll go else where now the gas station on the corner is already like a scene from the walking dead you get harrased at every corner geez there goes the naighbourhood lol
I am not sure how much safety will be affected by this shelter. But the city should have adequate contingency security measures in place just in case. I agree, that just as much, if not more of the problem is the intoxicated weekend bar hoppers. There are also a lot of drug dealers and growers in the community which have caused their fair share of problems.
This is terrible! I’ve paid a lot of money and worked hard for years to live in this neighborhood after living in less than desirable areas of the city. Now this! There is a precedent for transients causing issues outside of other respite centers in the city – namely at 21 Park Road and on Augusta Avenue – such as discarded needles on the streets, trespassing on private property, pissing on the streets etc. Maybe all of the homeless huggers on this thread will be willing to do the cleanup seeing as they are such huge fans of this move?
Going to keep it short and sweet since those who are against this need to spend more time educating themselves and less time reading the comments on this article.
If you’re more uncomfortable passing by a building that houses the homeless than you are watching someone suffer due to the cold, reevaluate yourself. If you think that looking for a parking spot in your heated car is more of an inconvenience than finding something warm to act as a bed and blanket because you don’t have access to one, think again. If you think that Liberty Village is some gated community where homelessness doesn’t exist, you’re wrong.
Gentle reminder that the city didn’t come up with this plan overnight. There is thought and consideration that goes into these decisions, and if you think that the safety and well-being of the area is about to be compromised due to a temporary shelter, please think again. There are all walks of life across the entirety of Toronto. If you can’t handle having the homeless in the general proximity of your day-to-day, I suggest looking for a home outside of the city.
Homelessness exists even in Liberty village. Those of you who claim there are none in liberty village are sadly mistaken. Trust me, they exhist.
Let me give some of you ignorant folk an eye opener. I’m seeing children on the street, more families. I was homeless with my son. It took us fourteen months to get into a shelter because they were continuously full. Ever stay awake for days on end. Nine days was the longest for me. It was the only way my son could safely sleep. Just an example of one of the things outs of many a homeless person faces.
Not every homeless person is a vagrant who lacks ambition and has no job. There are many who are in fact working homeless. The rents are beyond peoples means and it’s adding to the homeless crisis. Then you have landlords doubling rent illegally and the renobictions that are also going on. When a spot welder and a journalist become homeless, well, that speaks for itself, doesn’t it. Those are good paying jobs.
Perhaps some of you should spend a week on the street, on cold nights with an empty stomach, no sleep, no dignity and given a taste of the amount of ignorance a homeless person recieves. You will very quickly change your tune after that. You’d be begging for that shelter. All is takes is for that one bad event to lead you to a homeless state. Trust me, it can happen fast.