Nearly 200 residents gathered in Etobicoke this past Sunday to rally against a proposed 80-bed homeless shelter being built in their neighbourhood.
The lot at 66 Third St., which is located on a quiet residential street in South Etobicoke, was announced by city staff last December and is part of a broader city-wide shelter strategy. This announcement caught many in the neighbourhood off guard, and since then, calls for clarity and compromise have only gotten louder.
On Sunday, residents organized a rally to show their disapproval of the proposed site, and held signs that read, “Right cause, wrong spot,” and “Keep my walk to school safe.”
While some of the attendees in the crowd held signs of support for the housing initiative, most – like Dan Perdue of the New Toronto initiative — expressed that he and others feel excluded from the decision-making process in the city’s efforts to create more housing for the homeless population in the area.
Formed by residents in the area, the New Toronto Initiative is a grassroots group that’s now at the centre of the opposition effort. Members say their goal is not to block support for unhoused people, but to push for a more thoughtful approach.
“We know we have to help these people, we know we have to create second chances. It’s so hard for someone to come back and create a life for themselves when they’re living on the street,” Perdue said.
Perdue has lived in the neighbourhood for nearly three decades and says what troubles him most is the city’s lack of transparency.
“We need to come together with the city, if they will allow us to say ‘we want to create the right environment for this.’”
Perdue also noted concerns about spacing for the shelter. When the city introduced its Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS), officials noted that shelters require between 15,000 and 30,000 square feet to offer comprehensive support.
The Third St. parking lot is just 9,000.
Beyond space, residents worry about the shelter’s proximity to vulnerable groups. A seniors’ residence sits less than 10 metres from the lot and a school lies directly across the street, while another is just a few blocks away.
“The school is right across the street, and if we’re not going to admit that is a potential problem, how do we address it? Why would you want to add any degree of risk to children? Why can’t we even talk about it without being attacked?” Perdue asked.
He says this concern isn’t about stigmatizing unhoused people but about acknowledging and addressing risks realistically.
“Are we going to be working with people who have mental health issues, addiction issues? What is it that we’re going to be working with? But, again, nothing from the city — crickets.”
CITY TO HOLD TOWN HALL ABOUT PROPOSED SHELTER
City officials, however, maintain that the parking lot site was chosen with careful consideration.
The City assessed 14 properties in the Ward and 66 Third St. was the only site deemed suitable for shelter use at this time, the city says.
“This site will allow the City to build a location that is tailored for the needs of our most vulnerable residents in an area that is underserved by homelessness services, provide key services in-house and be convertible into supportive housing if shelter demand declines in the future,” Director of Infrastructure, Planning and Development for Toronto Shelter and Support Services Loretta Ramadhin, said in a statement to Now Toronto on Monday.
Of the city’s 100 existing shelters, just one currently exists in that ward.
The new shelter, the city says, is part of a long-term plan to stabilize and improve the shelter system. The city has confirmed that the site will not operate as a supervised consumption facility — an assurance aimed at addressing concerns about potential drug use in public spaces.
Ramadhin insists that community voices matter, and that suggestions and feedback from the community help determine how to best integrate shelters into neighbourhoods.
A virtual town hall is scheduled for April 15 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
“We will continue to work closely with the community, service operator and stakeholders to address concerns and foster a collaborative approach,” Ramadhin said.
Despite the city’s reassurance through public statements, Perdue says him and the initiative still have questions.
“We do have to create a scenario, an infrastructure, for these people to get back on their feet, hopefully getting some sort of training, some sort of education that allows them to get a job and begin to build their life back. You know, we want to be part of that conversation. Our concern especially is, how do you do it?” Perdue expressed.
For the New Toronto Initiative, the next step is continued advocacy. Ultimately, the group’s message is simple: they support the goal, but not the way it’s being executed.
“How do we really come together to address homelessness in a way that supports these people in the absolute best way possible? Let’s not settle for mediocre. That’s unfair to them.”
